Spitzer hit on omission

Despite having publicly pledged at an Oct. 15 conference of the New York State Coalition of Independent and Religious Schools that he would again include a modest tax deduction for tuition expenses in his Executive Budget, Gov. Eliot Spitzer did not include the provision when he announced his budget last week.

In last year's budget, he included a $1,000 deduction, a plan supported by the Republican Senate majority but which was killed in budget negotiations by Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver at the behest of the public school teachers unions.

James Cultrara, director for education of the New York State Catholic Conference, said, "We are very disappointed that Gov. Spitzer abandoned his public pledge to reintroduce a $1,000 tuition tax deduction for parents struggling with the double burden of public school taxes and tuition at their children's independent or religious school.

"Just last week, the Diocese of Rochester announced the closing of 13 elementary schools. This mirrors wide-scale closings in every other part of the state, as parents are unable to meet rising tuition costs necessitated by the need to pay fair salaries and benefits to teachers."

Mr. Cultrara added, "This is not only bad news for the parents in those schools; it is bad news for New York. The state's independent and religious schools educate a half-million children at a savings to taxpayers of at least $7.5 billion annually. New York cannot afford economically to lose the independent and religious school systems of our state. And our children cannot afford it educationally."

Mr. Cultrara said, "We call on the state Senate and Assembly to add the deduction or, better still, an education tax credit, to the final budget, due to be passed on April 1. The children of our state are counting on the legislature's leadership in this area in the absence of" the Governor's.

(The Catholic Conference represents New York State's bishops in matters of public policy.)

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