Turning Mayor de Blasio’s argument about addressing income inequality back on him, Gov. Cuomo Wednesday said that the mayor’s plan to fund a pre-kindergarten expansion by raising the city’s income tax on the wealthy would actually hurt poor districts outside New York City.
It makes no sense, Cuomo said during a Capitol press conference, having richer communities finance their own pre-K programs and poorer ones financing their own.
“That’s repugnant to the whole equity argument,” he said..
Cuomo said that his own plan $1.5 billion five-year plan for a statewide expansion of prekindergarten programs is more fair to districts that can’t rely on an abundance of millionaires to help cover their costs.
“I don’t believe that the wealth in New York City should be used just in New York City,” he said. “I don’t believe the wealth in Nassau should be used just in Nassau. That would place poorer communities at a disadvantage and I don’t want to do that.”
He also said he would not accept a New York City-only pre-K expansion, saying it should be statewide and paid for by the state..
“I want to make sure…the poorer communities in this state are also in a place to afford that service,” Cuomo said. “It’s ironic because many of the educational reformers for years have talked about equity of educational funding.”
Cuomo didn’t take umbrage with de Blasio amping up the pressure for his tax plan,
“It makes sense he’s fighting for universal pre-K for the city,” he said. “That is inarguable and correct and he is doing what he should be doing.”
“My point, which his different but aligned, is I want universal full-day pre-K for the state. New York City, yes. Also Buffalo. Also Rochester. Also Syracuse. Also Albany. Also Long Island. Every child in this state.”
Asked about de Blasio’s Tuesday comment that the state is treating the city like a colony, Cuomo quipped: “the state is treating the city like a city.”