Research

Administrative History

The Task Force on Equalizing Educational Opportunity (also known as the Special Task Force on Equity and Excellence in Education) was jointly appointed by Governor Carey and Chancellor Theodore M. Black of the Board of Regents on September 22, 1978.

The task force was a direct result of a decision by Supreme Court Justice L. Kinsley Smith (in the Levittown case) declaring unconstitutional New York's then-current system of school finance. Governor Carey and the Regents directed the task force to also examine the educational and financial issues arising for city school districts from the Court of Appeals decision in the Hurd case, and related litigation.

The charge to the task force was to assemble the necessary background information on the issue of equalization and to prepare alternative approaches to a solution; that is, to investigate modification of the formula that allocated various types of school aid. Former member of the Board of Regents, Max Rubin, was designated as chairman of the task force.