The progress came with a caveat: Instead of a tax increase on wealthy residents that he said was the only reliable source of funding, the mayor’s prekindergarten plan appears almost certain to be financed with state money. At the same time, he came under heightened pressure over charter schools from lawmakers, whose budget proposals threaten to erode his powers under mayoral control of the public schools.
Even before the Senate proposal had been released publicly, Mr. de Blasio issued a statement heralding it as a victory — although the plan also offered another sign that the tax increase he desired had moved further and further from reality. Now, after months of asking lawmakers for permission to raise taxes, the mayor and his allies are increasingly focused on winning as much state funding as possible during budget negotiations, and the mayor praised Senate leaders for their proposal.
