On Board Online • March 18, 2019

Timothy G. Kremer
NYSSBA Executive Director

With an April 1 budget deadline coming up fast, Gov. Andrew Cuomo has issued an ultimatum to the state Legislature, saying he will not sign a state budget that does not make the tax cap permanent.

NYSSBA has long opposed the property tax cap. It's not because we love unbridled, runaway property tax hikes; school board members are acutely aware of the financial burdens that taxes place on local residents. But the tax cap is flawed because it greatly diminishes the ability of local school boards to raise enough local revenue when confronted with increases in costs for employee benefits, special education, staffing shortages and an abundance of new mandates.

The tax cap also has resulted in many financial absurdities.