Midwood Assemblywoman Rodneyse Bichotte, yesterday, stood her ground against a controversial Education Tax Credit proposal being debated in Albany, despite a radio grilling by a proponent of the measure and a blistering attack from Borough Park Assemblyman Dov Hikind.
Governor Andrew Cuomo introduced the measure, called the Parental Choice in Education Act, three weeks ago. The bill earmarked $70 million as a tax credit for families making an income of $60,000 and less, and whose children attend non-public schools. In addition, the bill provides for $50 million in tax credits for donations from corporations and wealthy individuals to scholarship funds benefiting low and middle-income nonpublic school students.
Brooklyn’s orthodox Jewish community, with its large network of nonpublic religious schools, strongly supports Cuomo’s proposal as does Catholic Diocese, other Christian denominations and Muslim nonpublic schools.
Both these groups and opponents of the bill, led by the powerful teacher’s union, have been running expensive ad and mail campaigns, and intensely lobbying in an effort to sway Albany’s assembly toward their respective points of view.
Bichotte is strongly against the measure.
“The Governor’s Current Education Tax Credit Bill offers 70 million dollars in tax credit to families making an income of $60,000 or less. Among the problems, a family of 7 making a bit over $60,000 would not be eligible. While a family of one child making $60,000 would be,” said Bichotte in an emailed statement.
Bichotte noted that she put in a bill, A6318, several weeks before Cuomo put out his proposals where there is no income limit for parents to get a tax credit if they have children going to nonpublic schools.
“It (Cuomo’s proposal) also offers $70 Million dollars in tax credit to corporations and individuals in the form of a scholarship that cherry picks schools they choose to fund. Most schools, especially the poor ones don’t have the relationships to these wealthy investors and corporations. I fear they will probably be left behind,” she added.
But under questioning from “Community Matters” radio show host Leon Goldenberg, who is one of the leaders lobbying for Cuomo’s measure, Bichotte showed signs of the intense pressure being put on her to change her mind.
Bichotte told Goldenberg that her predecessor Rhoda Jacobs “who was supported by you guys” did not support Education Tax Credits; that neither did former Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver. “I didn’t want to commit to something that I know my Jewish predecessor and my former Jewish Speaker did not support.”
She said she is being targeted by the bill’s supporters because she’s a black woman. “No one pushed them the way you guys are pushing me… And it’s not like the majority of Jews in the district have voted for me or supported me. Okay? Why should I listen to people who are not even going to support me? Why should I listen to people who didn’t put the same standard on a Jewish woman and a Jewish man, and are putting a different standard on a black woman?”
In an email, yesterday, Bichotte apologized for the remarks.
“There are a great deal of strong feelings on all sides of the proposal to give tax credits to donors to private schools. I represent my entire district and while there will be disagreements at times, we should always seek to find common ground however emotional an issue is,” she said. “This was evident during a recent radio interview I had with Leon Goldenberg, and I apologize to anyone who was offended by my tone and intemperate remarks that I used.”
But the apology came too late for Hikind, who fired off a press release yesterday morning calling Bichotte’s tirade shocking, insensitive, inappropriate and ignorant of the facts.
“I was stunned by what my colleague said to Leon Goldenberg,” said Hikind. “The Jewish community, like the Catholic community, like many other segments of the community who support the Governor’s Parental Choice in Education Act, have all been working hard to explain the facts and dispel the misinformation about Education Tax Credits, which benefit families below a certain income threshold. These tax credits do not put one dime in the pockets of the so-called rich. But most importantly, these tax credits have never been a racial issue.”
“For Bichotte to state that she is being targeted because she is a black woman is so ludicrous it boggles the mind. To refer to the Jewish community as ‘you guys’ and Assemblywoman Jacobs as her ‘Jewish predecessor’ and Speaker Silver as the ‘Jewish Speaker’ displays an insensitivity that’s hard to imagine and is thoroughly inappropriate,” he added.
