In response to the release of the Senate and Assembly one house budget proposals, public education advocacy organization the Alliance for Quality Education released the following statement:
Foundation Aid
“We are relieved that both the Senate and Assembly have gone beyond the governor’s budget proposal for Foundation Aid, and have put forward solutions that address the funding shortfall her plan would have created for New York City and other high-need school districts across the state, including Central Islip, Albany and Geneva, among others,” said Zakiyah Shaakir-Ansari and Marina Marcou-O’Malley, Co-Executive Directors, Alliance for Quality Education.
“Updating the formula’s poverty data —data that is more than two decades old — is necessary to ensure that school funding is meeting students’ needs today, but it cannot be done in a vacuum. We need to also guarantee there is no unintended harm to schools that serve some of our most vulnerable students.
“By also updating the Regional Cost Index, the Legislature is ensuring no district will be harmed by changes to outdated data. In addition, both the Senate and Assembly proposals guarantee that every school district will receive at least 3 percent school aid increase, instead of 2 percent as the executive proposal included.
“Now, we need Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins and Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie to hold their ground in negotiations and ensure that these additional changes to the formula remain in the final budget.
“Both the Senate and Assembly propose increasing pre-K funding, acknowledging that the current $5400 amount is woefully inadequate for quality pre-K programs.
Child Care
“Only the Senate proposal acknowledged the need to invest in the child care workforce to ensure that children have programs and places to attend, by investing $500 million in the Workforce Retention Grant program to provide child care employees with an annual salary enhancement.
“After years of advocacy, we have built significant momentum toward building a sustainable, well-funded child care system. While additional investment is still necessary, we need to make sure the Assembly and Governor follow the Senate’s lead and include this $500 million for the workforce in this year’s enacted budget.
“The State is stalling on its progress toward universal child care and abandoning the momentum we have all worked so hard to build. Without adequate compensation, we risk losing skilled and dedicated early childhood professionals, deepening the staffing crisis, and leaving families without the care they desperately need. We will not be able to expand families’ access to child care without investing in the workforce that makes it possible. New York must finally recognize and value the essential role these workers play in our communities, and act to invest in the child care workforce.
Revenues
“The Senate and Assembly’s shared proposal to raise taxes on millionaires and profitable corporations will help sustain at least some programs that New York’s families rely on, but are not enough to make up for the swift and unequivocal cuts Trump is sending our way.
“There is only one way to make New York affordable and that is to invest in the services and programs that families need. Governor Hochul must finally come to the table and agree to enact policies that ensure the ultra-wealthy contribute their fair share. Both houses of the legislature and the governor need to stand tall against the federal administration’s destructive actions and raise the revenue necessary to protect OUR New York and its people.”