After setting the bar quite high for the children, he turned around and set it embarrassingly low for himself. The man who insisted that we ''not back down one iota'' on student standards has given the back of his hand to the students who have to struggle to meet those standards. Pataki let it be known that he was quite ''pleased'' with the Appellate Division ruling. With Governor Pataki leading the way, the state has embraced an educational standard that is so low as to be embarrassing. If the kids are capable of flipping burgers or running messages, that's good enough. The court ruled that providing kids with about an eighth grade education was sufficient. In fact, it doesn't have to do any more than it's doing now. The Appellate Division of State Supreme Court overturned Justice DeGrasse's ruling and said the state does not have to do much when it comes to the education of public school children. The appeal that he ordered was successful. Last week the governor got what he wanted. But when it comes to the responsibility of public officials, the lowest of standards will do. It's one thing to raise standards for schoolchildren. But Governor Pataki was in no mood to cheer. You would think that a governor so concerned about standards would have applauded Justice DeGrasse's ruling. ''The schools have broken a covenant with students, and with society.'' ''The majority of the city's public school students leave high school unprepared for more than low-paying work, unprepared for college and unprepared for the duties placed upon them by a democratic society,'' Justice DeGrasse wrote. He ordered state officials to develop a system to help the city relieve overcrowding, reduce class size, hire more qualified teachers, improve the physical condition of the schools, and acquire new books, computers and supplies. Justice DeGrasse said the state had shortchanged city schools for decades. Justice DeGrasse had determined ''that the education provided New York City students is so deficient that it falls below the constitutional floor set by the education article of the New York State Constitution.'' So he ordered an appeal of the ruling handed down in January 2001 by Justice Leland DeGrasse of State Supreme Court. He suddenly became less worried about academic standards and much more worried about the money that might be required to really educate the city's children. But last year, when a court found that the State of New York had failed in its constitutional obligation to provide ''a sound, basic education'' for New York City children, the governor skidded into a U-turn. Tougher standards are the rule - in high schools, middle schools and grammar schools. Pataki insisted, ''We should not back down one iota from our efforts to raise students' performance standards.'' Three years ago, when officials in school districts around the state were expressing concern about tougher high school graduation requirements being imposed by the State Board of Regents, Mr. George Pataki has ascended to stunning new heights of hypocrisy on this matter. It is both perverse and cruel of state officials to raise the academic requirements for public school students in New York City while fighting furiously against efforts to provide the resources that the students need to reach those higher standards.
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