[ProgressiveEd] Campaign for Fiscal Equity

[BYMJSK4@aol.com]

�This is from the Campaign for Fiscal Equity's website.  For information 
about the march, please go to CFEquity.org.  Thanks.
State Files Brief in CFE Case
Says Again That 8th Grade Level of Learning 
is Good Enough for NY Students
In yet another post-election year reversal, Governor Pataki's brief in CFE v. 
State once again refers to the Regents Learning Standards as "aspirational 
not just in their particulars but as an overall educational endeavor" despite 
the Governor's words that the state's goal is to "educat[e] our students so 
they can meet our standards and compete in the 21st century economy." Once 
again, the State contends that the now-defunct Regents Competency Tests 
(RCTs) are the measure that indicates that New York is fulfilling its 
Constitutional obligation to provide the opportunity for a sound basic 
education for all children. Past student results on the RCTs , the State 
argues, show that children in New York City are receiving an education that 
is "minimally adequate" and thus the State is not obligated to provide 
students with the resources they need to obtain a sound basic education that 
is consistent with the Regents Learning Standards. 
The State concedes that at least 30 percent of students in New York City 
public schools do not obtain a diploma, yet they laud they "success of City 
students" and indicates their "success can mean only that the City schools 
are fulfilling the constitutional mandate." Even recognizing the poor 
graduation rates in the City, the State declares, "in any event, students who 
fail to complete high school are still 'educated.'" The State's continued 
reliance on a standard of minimal adequacy to define sound basic education 
will be detrimental to all students throughout New York.
CFE will be filing a reply brief on April 21, and the case will be argued 
before the Court of Appeals in Albany on May 8.
Posted April 10, 2003