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Think Tank Says Proposal 3 is Not a Good Investment for Taxpayers

prlog.org

When New Yorkers vote on November 4, they'll be asked to consider Proposal 3.

This is a ballot proposition that would allow the state to borrow $2 billion for school districts to buy electronic tablets and computers, and expand high speed and wireless internet capacity.  The money would also pay for the construction of new classrooms to accommodate pre-kindergarten programs.

It’s called the “Smart Schools Bond Act.” At a recent symposium in Buffalo, Lt. Governor Bob Duffy said, “The governor wants to level the playing field. He wants to create the same opportunities for kids, especially in districts that are economically challenged, that their counterparts may have.”

But a fiscally conservative think-tank  says this proposal is not a good investment for taxpayers.

Ken Girardin, marketing and communications manager at the Empire Center for Public Policy, says, for one thing, the funding for this new technology could only be used in a narrow way.

"So you might iPads for a school district, but by law, you wouldn't be allowed to spend any of that money from that bond on the new curriculum, or on training, or on security, or on tech support for all these devices," Girardin said.

Girardin said the bond would cost taxpayers $500 million dollars in interest, and further costs would be incurred to support the new technology.  

Girardin said there are competitive grant programs already in place that would allow school districts to get the necessary funding to keep classroom technology updated. 

Beth Adams joined WXXI as host of Morning Edition in 2012 after a more than two-decade radio career. She was the longtime host of the WHAM Morning News in Rochester. Her career also took her from radio stations in Elmira, New York, to Miami, Florida.