ALBANY, N.Y. (November 23, 2020) — In response to Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins’ announcement today that the Democratic Conference has won a supermajority in the State Senate, the public education advocacy organization Alliance for Quality Education released the following statement:
“As the final ballots are counted, today we celebrate a historic Democratic supermajority in both houses of the New York State Legislature. New York State legislators now have the power to negotiate a budget that will tax the ultra rich to fund schools and protect New Yorkers. A Democratic supermajority puts us closer to finally having fully funded schools, housing for all and support for excluded workers,” said Jasmine Gripper, Executive Director, Alliance for Quality Education.
“Now the State Senate and Assembly can together lead the fight to dismantle systemic racism in education, through school discipline reforms, culturally responsive education, and at last making equitable and adequate school funding a reality. Families, students and educators are facing unprecedented challenges, especially those in Black, Brown and low-income communities. We look forward to working with Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins and Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie to champion the needs of our students and at last realize educational equity across New York.”