Assemblyman Fred W. Thiele, Jr. (I, D, WF-Sag Harbor) announced that he helped pass a 2014-15 state budget that increases school aid by $1.1 billion, or 5.4 percent, which is $551 million over the executive budget proposal (A.8556-D). A breakdown of funding by school district can be found at: assembly.state.ny.us/comm/Ed/201401schoolaid/index.pdf.

Included with this increase is $251 million in additional funding for Foundation Aid and $602 million in restorations to the Gap Elimination Adjustment (GEA), helping to reduce the negative financial impact on schools statewide.

“Every child in New York deserves to benefit from a great education,” Assemblyman Thiele said. “With an increase in school aid of more than 5 percent, significant funding for statewide full-day Universal Pre-K and a bond act proposal to modernize classroom technologies, this year’s state budget represents New York’s largest investment in our children’s future in recent memory.”

Big bump in school aid

The 2014-15 state budget increases school aid by $1.1 billion, or 5.4 percent over the 2013-14 school year. High-need school districts will receive nearly 70 percent of this increase, helping to ensure that school aid is allocated to the areas where it is needed most.

“We have a responsibility to provide our schools and educators with the resources they need to succeed,” Assemblyman Thiele said. “But for years, our schools have struggled with tough budget cuts, resulting in our students and educational programs suffering. Now, with our economy slowly regaining strength, it’s time to fully invest in our schools, students and teachers. This year’s state budget makes a strong commitment to our kids.”

The final state budget also includes:

• $40 million for UPK programs outside of New York City;
• $20 million to establish a Teacher Excellence Fund, which will reward excellent teachers and recruit the most effective educators;
• $16 million in additional support for Non-Public Services, CAP;
• $14.2 million in restored support for Teacher Resource Centers; and
• an additional $5 million in support for libraries.

Reforming Common Core

The 2014-15 state budget incorporates recent legislation passed by the Assembly that helps fix the flawed implementation of Common Core. It protects students from unfair consequences based on test results and ensures the security of sensitive student data. The reforms also:

• ban standardized tests for students in grades K-2;
• prohibit Common Core test scores from solely or primarily determining grade promotion;
• delay the use of test results from becoming part of the permanent record for students in grades 3-8;
• make changes to assessments for students with disabilities and English language learners pursuant to a federal waiver submitted by the State Education Department (SED);
• significantly limit the amount of classroom time used for test preparation and assessments;
• direct SED to provide tools, resources and materials to assist teachers in professional development related to the new standards;
• place restrictions on the sharing of student data and requiring SED to appoint a chief privacy officer who will serve a three-year term;
• require the student privacy officer to set guidelines for sharing student data and develop policies to deal with any data breaches;
• require third-party vendors to notify the school or SED of any data breaches and establish penalties for failing to do so;
• create a “Parents Bill of Rights” that places limitations on sharing student data with third-party vendors;
• provide for the elimination of inBloom and require SED to request that all student information already provided to inBloom be deleted; and
• allow schools to opt out of sharing private student information with similar entities and certain privately run data dashboards.

“All of us want higher standards for our children. And, while the intent behind Common Core is laudable, there is no question that the rollout has been seriously flawed,” Thiele said. “As we continue to work on addressing each area of concern, the state budget takes immediate action that will reduce stress and anxiety for students, parents and educators, eliminate unnecessary testing and protect student privacy. With testing beginning as soon as this week, it’s critical that we address these problems now.”

Building smarter schools

The final state budget also includes a “Smart Schools” initiative, a $2 billion bond act that voters will consider that will provide new educational technologies to schools across the state. Eligible projects include infrastructure improvements that bring high-speed Internet to schools as well as the purchase of new technologies for student use that will strengthen classroom instruction. Additionally, Smart Schools enables long-term projects that improve full-day pre-K by constructing new classroom space and investing in high-tech school safety measures.

“The Smart Schools initiative is an important step that will allow us to make meaningful, lasting investments in our schools and improve student instruction by introducing new technologies into the classroom,” Assemblyman Thiele said.