Cuomo Stabs Orthodox Special Parents in the Back

Where is the outcry? Gov. Cuomo just stabbed a knife in the backs of thousands of Orthodox parents of kids in need for special schooling, by vetoing a bill that would ease their burden to proof that public schools aren't suited to educate their children.

Gov. Cuomo and Mayor Bloomberg - the latter is professing to nanny our kids right from their exit of the womb, through the eighth day and beyond - say that the veto will save school districts from a new finanial burden. I don't know if this is accurate -we often hear the argument that the city is actually saving from outsourced special ed - but even if the its true, it doesn't mean that we have to accept it.

We are self educating our kids, and we deserve that the public education system should at least extend to us what it is constitutionally permitted. In addition, fact of the matter is that virtually all the children from Yiddish speaking homes anyway get these private placements in the end, based on various other reasons. But in the process, lawyers are benefiting immensely from the current system, and the special ed parents are hurting bitterly.

The Governor's action is in sharp contrast former Gov. Mario Cuomo's signing into law the Kiryas Joel School district some 20 years ago to alleviate on Hasidic parents of special need kids. His son did the opposite, by striking down a law that would alleviate unnecessary expenses and aggravation for families of children with special needs. Actually, in 2002, before he was forced out of the Governor's race, Cuomo said he would also support the special school district. "This is not a Jewish issue. There are very real human social needs in many of the communities," he told the Jewish Week. Why isn't he supportive of these communities now?

BTW, over in NJ, they have much more sympathy from their governor, who pointed out that those decrying government's help for special children, are comfortable when the goverment shells out $24,000 for students in failing public schools,

On other issues, like vouchers and Yeshiva funding, we hear a large outcry after such a decision. Why are we silent now? Is it because the Special Ed parents are only a minority within our minority community and aren't as politically organized as our Yeshivos.

Currently, the state legislature has the opportunity to try to override the governor's veto, but as per reports this is unlikely. We currently have a State Senate majority leader with vested interest in the Super Jewish State Senate race, and several competitive assembly races (to her credit, Assemblyman Weinstein was the main sponsor of the bill in her chamber). It would be a good idea to ask them do the least for these unfortunate families, to secure an override vote. Shouldn't we expect it from them?

UPDATE: Joseph Hayon, candidate for the 41st Assembly district, said that: "By vetoing the legislation, Cuomo is saying that Jews and Christians are not taxpayers." He also lays fault with the legislators originally supporting the bill, including his opponent, Helene Weinstein, who had a leading role in the bill's passage, saying that "Hikind, Weinstein are Just Playing Good-Cop Bad-Cop with Cuomo."

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