Assemblyman Fred W. Thiele, Jr. (I, D, WF-Sag Harbor) announced he helped pass a 2014-15 state budget that helps grow our higher education system by providing $10.4 billion for SUNY. This year’s budget also helps students and parents by increasing funding for the Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) for the first time in 14 years and restores funding for other college opportunity programs (A.8556-D).

“The key to a bright and successful future is a college education,” Assemblyman Thiele said. “Making higher education accessible to everyone is one of my top priorities and that is why I’m disappointed an agreement couldn’t be reached on the DREAM Act. While this year’s final budget helps make that goal more attainable for some, I will continue to work to ensure it is attainable for all.”

Boosting TAP, other college opportunity programs

To help students afford the rising cost of college, the budget increases funding for TAP for the first time in 14 years. The maximum TAP award will be increased by $165 for a maximum award of $5,165 per full-time equivalent (FTE) student. The budget also addresses an inequity in TAP that treats foster care children or wards of the state as independents rather than dependents, causing their awards to be calculated at a lower rate. This year’s budget remedies this so that TAP awards for these students are calculated at the higher rate that dependent students receive.

The budget also provides $102 million in funding for college opportunity programs, an increase of $4.2 million over the executive proposal. The funding restores cuts and provides a 3 percent increase for the Educational Opportunity Program (EOP), the Search for Education, Elevation and Knowledge (SEEK) program and the Higher Education Opportunity Program (HEOP).

Additionally, the budget connects the NY Youth Works program to community colleges in an effort to create more employment opportunities for inner-city youth.

“This year’s budget helps keep the cost of obtaining a college degree within reach,” Thiele said. “Ensuring young people have access to affordable education doesn’t only ensure brighter futures for these students, it ensures a brighter future for New York.”

Investing in higher education

This year’s state budget provides an additional $20.2 million for community colleges, increasing base aid to SUNY community colleges by $75 per full-time equivalent (FTE) student, bringing the total to $2,497 per FTE. This is the third consecutive budget increase in community college funding.

“Our community colleges play an integral role in providing quality higher education and job training,” said Assemblyman Thiele. “We must make sure that community colleges continue to be an affordable option for many students.”

This year’s budget also includes $8 million in funding for a new Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) scholarship program. This would provide full tuition scholarships to the top 10 percent of high school graduates attending SUNY colleges or universities if they pursue a STEM career and then work in New York for five years after graduation.

“Careers in math and science are only growing, yet our current workforce is lacking,” Thiele said. “Providing incentives for our top students to go into these fields, and to stay in New York upon graduation, is a great option for students and will help boost our overall economy.”

SUNY Downstate Health Science Center, Upstate Medical University and Stony Brook Health Science Center are world-class teaching hospitals. Recognizing the importance of these institutions, this year’s budget restores $18.5 million to SUNY health science centers for a total of $87.5 million.

The budget also restores $1 million for SUNY ATTAIN computer labs to increase access to technology for those in economically challenged areas. In addition, the budget provides for two loan forgiveness programs, including an increase of $250,000 for the Social Work Loan Forgiveness Program and $100,000 for the new Farmers Loan Forgiveness Program.

The final budget also restores $653,000 to SUNY Child Care Centers, to provide overall funding of $1.7 million at SUNY.

“These child care facilities offer the community an affordable child care option that they can count on and trust,” Thiele noted.

The budget restores $1.7 million to SUNY’s Graduation, Achievement and Placement (GAP) program.

“New York’s public higher education system is one of the best in the country, and it’s our job to make sure we’re doing all we can to support it,” Assemblyman Thiele said. “This budget continues providing New York’s college students with a wonderful – and affordable – place to grow and learn.”

Improving our learning environments

“Maintaining and updating the infrastructure in which our teachers and students work together is a vital part of ensuring everyone performs to the best of their abilities and that our students come out ahead of the game,” Thiele said. “This year’s budget makes a strong commitment to maintaining and improving these facilities.”

This year’s budget increases capital spending at SUNY schools by $272.9 million, for a total of $1.3 billion. The increases include:

• $91.9 million for SUNY community colleges; and
• $33 million for SUNY state-supported campuses

The budget also includes $30 million for the Higher Education Capital Matching Grants program to provide capital grants for private colleges and universities.