In 2003, the Court of Appeals, responding to a case brought forth by the Campaign for Fiscal Equity, ruled that New York City’s school children were not receiving a sound, basic education. Despite this, the governor continues to be the primary force preventing our children from receiving the $5.6 billion a court-appointed panel ruled they were entitled to, just as he had been doing for the past 12 years.

The governor’s current budget proposal once again ignores the CFE ruling. His education budget maintains an archaic and unconstitutional school funding formula by providing only a minuscule fraction of the billions of dollars our schools need. Staten Island’s children cannot afford another year of inaction by the governor.

The governor’s school aid plan doesn’t come anywhere near what Staten Island children need to receive a quality education that prepares them for the future. In fact, his proposal:

• Provides a next-to-nothing increase (1.2 percent) in operating aid for New York City schools

• Fails to provide an increase in aid for programs like universal pre-K, full-day kindergarten and smaller class sizes

• Reduces funding for textbooks, libraries and software for New York City

Assemblyman Cusick and his colleagues in the Assembly - as they do every year - will fight for a budget that best serves Staten Island schools. Last year, Assemblyman Cusick fought for a budget that provided a $327 million increase in aid for New York City schools.

According to the New York City Finance Department, the average Staten Island property tax bill is poised to go up $165 this year. The governor has been touting his new STAR-plus program, which could give homeowners a $400 tax rebate, but New York City is excluded. And while the rest of the state would receive $50 million more in local aid to help municipalities lower their property taxes, New York City would not see an increase under the governor’s plan.

In addition, the governor once again calls for making the sales tax on clothing and footwear permanent. This regressive tax hits working families the hardest. Local businesses on Staten Island suffer as well, as consumers are driven to cross the bridge into New Jersey in hopes of saving money at the register.