Release Sign-On Letters to Legislative Leadership and Gov. Cuomo
(Long Island, NY) Assembly Education Chair Catherine Nolan and Senator Kevin Parker released letters signed by 80 legislators from both houses calling on the Legislative Leadership and the Governor to increase education funding by $2.4 billion and fulfill the Campaign for Fiscal Equity.
United on the steps of the Million Dollar Staircase in the Capitol, dozens of lawmakers stood with Chairwoman Nolan, Senator Parker and the Chair of the Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic and Asian Caucus Assemblyman Nick Perry. They were accompanied by the Alliance for Quality Education and Citizen Action of New York.
The sign-on letters back the Board of Regents’ recommendation for a $2.4 billion increase and emphasize the importance of Foundation Aid in order to address the severe educational inequities that exist in New York State.
According to State Education Department data, New York State schools are owed $4.4 billion in Foundation Aid and an additional $434 million in Gap Elimination Adjustment, a total of $4.8 billion. Thus, a substantial increase, with a focus on boosting Foundation Aid for high need schools, is essential. The Foundation Aid formula was enacted in 2007 as the statewide remedy to the ground breaking Campaign for Fiscal Equity lawsuit where the New York State Court of Appeals, the state’s highest court, found that the state was violating students’ right to a “sound basic education.”
A $2.4 billion school aid increase would help lower burgeoning class sizes as well as restore programs that have been cut like art, music, library, afterschool programs, career and technical education and more.
“It’s been a full decade since the Campaign for Fiscal Equity was settled,” said Assembly Education Chair Catherine Nolan. “But schools are still waiting on the funding their schools need and deserve. Right now, our schools are owed $4.8 billion. We, in the legislature together with the Governor, must come up with a real plan to resolve these issues. The time is now, while there is a budget surplus. Our children and our state’s future is limitless if we provide the proper education for all.”
“Public education funding has not kept pace with the rising costs associated with providing the students of our state with a ‘sound, basic education,'” said State Senator Kevin Parker. “The need is beyond urgent. Classroom sizes have swelled, programs like art and music continue to be cut, and essential personnel like guidance counselors and social workers have been eliminated. The time is now to fully implement the Foundation Aid Formula and the Campaign for Fiscal Equity’s ruling. Today, let’s commit to paying attention to and supporting our high need schools and our most vulnerable communities across New York State.”
“With a surplus in hand, we have the opportunity to make a significant dent in reducing the educational inequities that plague our schools and result in one system for the wealthy and one for the poor,” said Assembly Member and Chair of the Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic and Asian Caucus Nick Perry. “Let’s make 2016 the year that New York State does the right thing for our schools by finally get back on track to comply with the court’s prudent CFE decision. We have the capacity, now we should muster the will. Let’s fund our schools for our children. Their futures depend on it.”
“We are pleased to stand in support with Assemblywoman Nolan and Senator Parker today,” said Jasmine Gripper, Legislative Director of the Alliance for Quality Education. “The call for $2.4 billion is necessary to provide the neediest of students with a quality education. We applaud the lawmakers who work to restore the much-needed Foundation Aid that will support struggling schools. It will be a step toward ending the inequities that now exist in New York State schools.”
“By underfunding schools that serve low-income families, we’re sentencing whole communities of children to lifelong poverty,” said Karen Scharff, Executive Director of Citizen Action of New York. “Citizen Action is proud to stand with Assemblymember Nolan, Senator Parker and all the legislators who are working to create an equitable public school system for New York that serves all of our children.”
The letters are released just only a week after AQE’s latest report No Appetite to Educate: Stacking the Deck Against Children in Poverty, which compares the 100 wealthiest districts with the 100 poorest districts in the state. The report shows that under Gov. Cuomo, the gap has widened to an all-time high of $9,796 between rich and poor districts. For the poorer districts, the gap has resulted in lower graduation rates and fewer students attaining a coveted Advanced Regents diploma.
