To Read About Governor Pataki’s Successful Record for Higher Education, please choose: Making Our Colleges and Universities the Best in the Nation

Historic Investment & Innovation in Education

Governor Pataki believes all New York children deserve a first-rate education. That’s why our Governor has enacted innovative programs and made unprecedented investments in our schools, resulting in dramatic increases in school aid and safe, structured classrooms where our children can learn.

• On June 12, Governor Pataki signed historic legislation into law giving the Mayor greater control over New York City schools. The legislation creates a new and unprecedented level of accountability to ensure a quality education for the City’s 1.1 million school children.
  
  
• The United Federation of Teachers recently awarded Governor Pataki the prestigious John Dewey Award to Friends of Education. The award is granted annually by the more than 140,000 teachers, paraprofessionals, school staff and retired members of the UFT to a person who has demonstrated exemplary leadership in advancing education. Previous winners include Eleanor Roosevelt, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Thurgood Marshall, Adlai Stevenson, President William Jefferson Clinton and Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan. The Dewey Award has not been given to a Republican in 23 years.
  
  
• Under Governor Pataki’s leadership New York increased support to our schools by a record $4.8 billion - a remarkable 49% increase—more than twice the rate of inflation.
  
  
• Governor Pataki has enacted innovative new programs such as, “Teachers of Tomorrow,” to attract and retain qualified teachers for our children through tuition reimbursement, stipends for teachers in areas facing a teacher shortage, and funding for teacher certification.
  
  
• The Governor increased the total spending on elementary and secondary education in New York to $11,000 per pupil—placing New York 2nd in the United States.
  
  
• And because he wants our children to learn in safe and respectful classrooms, Governor Pataki has created a Character Education Program to address issues like honesty, tolerance, personal responsibility, civility, respect for others, observance of laws and community activism.
  
  
• Governor Pataki has proposed a comprehensive reform plan called “Flex Aid” Reforms that would provide tremendous benefits to both New York City schools and schools throughout the State by combining a record-high level of education funding with sweeping reforms to promote accountability in our schools and target additional aid to districts with high needs.
  
  
• Governor Pataki started one of the strongest Charter School programs in the nation, providing families in under performing school districts with a choice and giving charter schools flexibility and relief from education red tape.
  
  
• The Governor signed into law landmark legislation to combat school violence and make classrooms throughout New York State safer and more secure.
  
  
• To provide a safe and rewarding learning environment for children during the afterschool hours, Governor Pataki also launched the Advantage After-School Program, which currently operates at 155 sites across the state.