Spitzer's preschool plan could cause rifts in LI

BY JOHN HILDEBRAND.john.hildebrand@newsday.com January 26, 2008

A proposal by Gov. Eliot Spitzer to shift soaring costs of preschoolspecial education is creating a potential split between Long Island'scounties, which would save money, and local school districts, whichwould face higher expenses.Controlling costs of special education for preschoolers ranks as a majorpriority for both Nassau and Suffolk counties, where spending on suchservices will total more than $200 million this year. Costs have jumpedin recent years, as thousands of additional children ages 3 to 5 havebeen diagnosed with autism and other disabilities."There's no connection between the counties and special education, sowhy are we paying this outlandish bill?" said Suffolk County ExecutiveSteve Levy. He added that he was "elated" by the idea of a cap, butcautioned that many details remain unsettled.Under Spitzer's plan, outlined earlier this week in his annual budgetproposal, growth in counties' share of preschool special-educationspending would be capped at 4 percent next year. Albany would pick upany additional costs, estimated at $20 million statewide.In return, costs of medical evaluations for such children, along withpreschool administrative expenses, would be shifted to local schooldistricts. This would save an estimated $46 million for the state, whichcurrently splits those expenses with counties.Spitzer aides contend the shift to school districts would make sense,because districts already are responsible for deciding how much therapyand instruction is provided to preschoolers with disabilities. But the governor's proposal has drawn objections from local schoolofficials in Nassau and Suffolk, who say the state has no businessimposing extra costs on schools that are under increasing pressure tocurb property taxes.School administrators add that, while they would like to see thecounties save money, this shouldn't be done at their expense."We have struggled with this, because we think it's somewhatdisingenuous of the governor to say, on the one hand, that he wants tocap property taxes, and on the other hand, pass on extra costs to schooldistricts," said Wendell Chu, vice president of the Suffolk CountySchool Superintendents Association. Chu also serves as superintendent ofFire Island schools. That criticism was echoed Friday at a Mineola news conference attendedby a half-dozen state lawmakers, who attacked both the governor's planfor shifting preschool costs, and a proposed elimination of $8.6 millionin state financial aid for special-education programs serving theIsland's older students. Speakers included Republicans and Democrats - a sign that Spitzer's plancould face an uphill struggle in winning legislative approval."They're advertising this as a tax cut," said State Assemb. HarveyWeisenberg (D-Long Beach). "Shifting money isn't going to be a tax cut."