Not every district was equally satisfied with the way in which this new aid was distributed. One would hope that, in years of plenty, we'd see a suspension of that traditional definition of budgeting as the allocation of disappointments. Unfortunately, it wasn't so. There were other somber notes. We acknowledge education is expensive in New York.
Technology offers few of the opportunities for productivity gains that some industries have enjoyed.
Costs for mandated special education services have increased statewide by 46 percent just since 1995. Districts can no longer postpone the building repairs, renovations, and expansions that had to be shelved in years when state aid was less plentiful. Private-sector vendors that do business with districts have not necessarily kept their costs below the rate of inflation, as some suggest schools should. Employee health insurance premiums paid by school districts, for instance, have risen by 13 percent in just two years. Education Week gives New York the highest ranking among states for leadership in setting high standards and percentage of resources devoted to instruction.