Governor Andrew Cuomo is still on the education reform warpath. Speaking at the capitol earlier today, he called on the system to “Reduce the waste. Reduce the fraud. Reduce the abuse.”

Now, he is using Comptroller DiNapoli’s report on school reserve funds as more ammunition for his argument that school districts can find the 2.7% in cuts through being more efficient.

“Today’s report from the Comptroller’s Office finds even more evidence to support the education budget I proposed. The report says all but roughly 100 of the State’s 696 districts have enough reserves to cover the proposed reduction for this year,” Cuomo said in a statement.

“That’s only reserves. This does not include any renegotiation of health benefits or salaries and it does not include rooting out waste or finding greater efficiencies. The oft-repeated scare tactic from various interest groups that teachers must be fired simply is not so. And what’s worse, it uses students as pawns in a political game.”

DiNapoli’s report also warns that twice as many schools would be at risk of depleting their reserve funds next year if districts don’t cut spending, or increase revenue.

Share|