NEW YORK—Showing the kind of firm leadership that might just improve his dismal poll numbers, Gov. David Paterson announced on Wednesday that he is filing a brief in New York Supreme Court in response to a lawsuit filed last week by the state teachers’ union, school officials, and concerned citizens.
The lawsuit is challenging the governor’s right to withhold hundreds of millions from schools in order to pay off a $6.8 billion budget deficit for next year.
“I absolutely will not allow those special interests to ruin the state’s credit and the state’s financial position based on what they see as some sacred privileges they have,” said Paterson, in public press conference reported by NY1 News.
Paterson began withholding 10 percent of payments to schools and local governments last week in order to keep the state financially solvent. He says that maintaining solvency is something he has the legal authority to do as governor. Solvency means having enough assets to pay off your debts.
“It is my job to protect the security of New Yorkers and therefore I will not be intimidated in this process. I absolutely will not shirk my responsibility,” said Paterson.
The lawsuit contests that the governor is violating the separation of powers outlined in the state constitution since he is withholding state aid payments that the Legislature approved.
“The governor may not agree with the Legislature’s spending priorities and may indeed have profound concerns about the results, but once he signed the state budget in April and approved the deficit reduction plan, he is constitutionally and legally bound to follow the law,” said teacher union president Richard C. Iannuzzi in a release.
The New York State School Boards Association has also complained that the cuts are causing administrative chaos.
“School districts cannot provide educational programs to students in an unpredictable and chaotic funding environment,” said NYSSBA Executive Director Timothy G. Kremer in the release.
“The governor’s unilateral midyear cut to schools has already created havoc and uncertainty in many districts, as they study their options … We are deeply concerned about the governor’s action to withhold or delay payments to schools in the future,” said Kremer.
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