Ca$h for Kid$?????

The DoE has proposed the idea of giving cash to "low income" students that do well on regents exams and other standardized tests.

Parents of elementary school students in the program will get $300 and middle-school parents will get $350 in incentives if their child scores at proficiency or demonstrates improvement on each of the state standardized tests. High school students will get $600 for each Regents exam they pass.

Off the bat, this seems like a good idea. It is a way to get students motivated, but there are too many flaws with this proposal. First, the DoE does not have the power to raise taxes, so where is this money coming from? It is being taken out of Bloomberg's personal funds, and it doesn't seem fair to do that unless he's trying to fund something that would benefit everyone (i.e. class size reduction). Another huge problem with this program is the term "low income." If you actually fall under that category, you most likely do not want to be reminded that you are a low income student. It is also very degrading, suggesting that because a student is "low income," he/she does not care about education.

Furthermore, the cost of living in NYC is extremely high. Many of those who qualify as low income have similar financial status to those who don't, but the average income in NY is higher than most places. Finally, how does the DoE think this money will be spent if they are truly giving CASH to kids???