Assemblyman Dov Hikind (D-Brooklyn) scolded The New York State United Teachers union for a disingenuous radio ad knocking NYS Governor Andrew Cuomo’s latest push for education investment tax credits. NYSUT’s ad, which began airing today, casts the tax credit as one that helps the rich and comes on the back of the Governor’s revamped push for these credits under his Parental Choice in Education Act.
“NYSUT President Karen Magee clearly believes in the principle that when one lies, one should lie big, and stick to it,” said Hikind in direct reference to Magee’s assertion, “We don’t need another giveaway to the rich. What we need is a fair approach to education funding that benefits all students.”
“Calling education tax credits a gift to the rich is so dishonest that it’s hard to believe anyone with the facts could even say that,” said Hikind. “Rich people don’t save a solitary dime in their pockets with the passage of these tax credits. It would simply mean they would be afforded an opportunity to see their money go towards the scholarships of less fortunate, lower-income families than directly to the state. And the people who are eligible for these scholarships are hardly those whose income anyone would characterize as wealthy.”
Hikind, a leading proponent of these tax credits in the NY State Assembly, said he was sickened by the insincerity and bald-faced untruthfulness of the union’s radio ad, which features a character named “Mr. Moneybags” who frames the tax credit as a way of favoring “us ‘zillionaires’ and our exclusive schools.”
“The hypocrisy of those who wrote this ad is astounding,” said Hikind. “It’s shameful. If they are representing New York’s educators they need to stop lying and pretending to care about ‘all’ of New York’s students when they mean public school students. Clearly, education for all is not their real agenda.”
(YWN Desk – NYC)
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3 Responses
What their agenda is is to defund religious education and put a complete stop to it if possible. With America becoming an increasingly anti-religious climate, there’s a real danger here.
Aharon Tuvia,
“defund”??? The US doesn’t fund religious education; 38 states including New York have explicit provisions in their state constitutions prohibiting it. The “complete stop” probably occurred in 1833 when Massachusetts separated church and state, the last state to do so.
Aharon Tuvia: Unions always opposed any financial allotment to Private Schools, religious or not. They feel it detracts from money that would go to public education for their benefit, not that it would improve public education no matter how much money is thrown at it.