ALBANY, N.Y. -- One of the biggest surprises in Gov. Eliot Spitzer's budget proposal Wednesday was a $1,000 tax break for families with children in private and parochial schools.

Spitzer called for the tax deduction for families with children in private schools, as well as for families that choose to pay tuition to send their child to a neighboring public district, often because it's better than the local schools.

The idea was a one-paragraph item on Page 49 in one of five budget proposal volumes, but it drew some immediate attention.

"Providing real choice to parents can help to achieve the goal of improving all schools and student outcomes, while assuring the survival of the independent and religious school system which serves the state so well," said Richard Barnes of the New York State Catholic Conference.

Spitzer has said public schools must be the state's first priorities, but private schools provide a service that must recognized and supported, too. Spitzer's budget proposal also includes a record $7 billion increase in public school funding over the next four years.

The state's largest public school teachers union called the measure bad public policy.

"We do have serious concerns about proposals that would be bad public policy, such as a questionable private-school tuition/voucher proposal," said union President Richard Iannuzzi.

As attorney general, Spitzer wrote a legal opinion that the support wouldn't be a voucher. He said the state can fund education supplies and some other costs to private schools and help private school families through tax breaks.

"We will now be working with both houses of the Legislature to ensure that quality public education is available for all children and to prevent bad policy proposals from turning into bad law," said Alan Lubin, of the public school teachers union.

"Have you no decency, sir?" responded Michael Tobman of Teach NYS, a group that supports tax breaks for families using private and parochial schools. "One would think that with billions coming to public schools, basic decency would have you more generous with parents _ many from communities of color throughout New York _ who make tremendous sacrifices to pay tuition," Tobman said.

Tobman said the credit would cost the state less than $30 million a year.