(Long Island, NY) Today, the Board of Regents released their 2014 school aid proposal, calling for an increase of $1.3 billion in education funding. Governor Cuomo has committed to a four percent increase in education aid, which comes to $833 million. In response, the Alliance for Quality released the following statement:
“Our children deserve a lot more, and parents, students and teachers are gearing up to make themselves heard in Albany.
“The reality is that schools are suffering from years of draining classroom cuts to programs, resources and staff. In order to not only prevent more classroom cuts from happening this year but also begin to restore what has been lost, the state needs to invest $1.9 billion in schools.
“The Regents acknowledge that Governor Cuomo’s proposal is too small– as it guarantees yet another year of classroom cuts– but we can do better for our kids. Investing only $1.3 billion will not be enough to reverse the devastating classroom cuts that students have absorbed in recent years much less provide what is needed to close the gap in opportunity between rich and poor school districts,” said Billy Easton, Executive Director of the Alliance for Quality Education.
About AQE
The Alliance for Quality Education is a coalition mobilizing communities across the state to keep New York true to its promise of ensuring a high quality public education to all students regardless of zip code, income or race. Combining its legislative and policy expertise with grassroots organizing, AQE advances proven-to-work strategies that lead to student success and echo a powerful public demand for a high quality education. Click here to view AQE’s 2014 Legislative Priorities
