It's hardly a "scandal". If local governments didn't constantly target public institutions under their control like libraries and schools for funding cuts, these organizations wouldn't seek to create special taxing districts for themselves. The city, suburban, and rural school districts that have special taxing districts do much better than the city schools that are dependent upon their local politicians for funding. Compare the Buffalo Public Schools to the Jamestown or Dunkirk School Districts or to the Tonawanda or North Tonawanda School Districts.