Cuomo Sweetens Pre-K Deal: ‘Whatever’ Mayor Needs [View all]

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A day after Mayor Bill de Blasio rebuffed his proposal to set aside $1.5 billion to pay for prekindergarten classes, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo came back on Wednesday with a new offer: a blank check.

“Whatever he needs,” Mr. Cuomo promised. “As fast as he can phase in, we’ll fund it.”

Long accustomed to deference from fellow New York Democrats, the governor is suddenly adjusting to a fresh and frustrating reality.
As Mr. de Blasio begins his fourth week in office, he is sticking by his signature campaign plan to raise taxes on New York City’s highest earners to pay for expanded prekindergarten.

So Mr. Cuomo, facing a mayor unmoved by his opening offer, sharpened his argument, suggesting Mr. de Blasio’s position was motivated by politics and would be unfair to smaller cities in the state that are not magnets for millionaires.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/23/nyregion/cuomo-sweetens-pre-k-deal-whatever-mayor-needs.html?hp