Assemblyman Fred W. Thiele, Jr. (I, D, WF-Sag Harbor) announced he helped pass the Assembly’s 2016-17 state budget proposal, which includes a significant increase in funding for schools as well as a strong commitment to making higher education accessible to all (E.1047).

“A good education is the great equalizer, offering every child the chance at a bright future filled with endless opportunity,” Assemblyman Thiele said. “It’s up to us to ensure that students receive that quality education, and the Assembly takes that responsibility seriously. Our budget proposal greatly invests in our schools and colleges so that each and every child in this state can achieve their full potential.”

Investing in our schools

The Assembly is committed to fairly and fully funding New York State schools. The Assembly’s plan provides a total of $25.4 billion in education funding, an increase of $2.1 billion – or 9.2 percent – over last year. That’s $1.2 billion more than the governor’s budget proposal. It also increases Foundation Aid by $1.1 billion for the 2016-17 school year.

“Every child has the right to receive a great education, but our schools and teachers can’t provide that if they’re left scrambling for aid and resources,” Thiele said. “The Assembly’s proposal stands up for our students by providing the funding needed to put them on the path to success.”

The plan also provides $434 million to fully eliminate the Gap Elimination Adjustment (GEA). It’s about time we stop shortchanging our schools and overburdening taxpayers and get rid of the GEA once and for all, noted Thiele.

To support the revitalization of persistently struggling schools, the Assembly budget proposal extends the turnaround deadline for such schools to one school year after they received transformation grants from the state. And to further assist the most needy schools, the Assembly’s proposal increases Community Schools Aid by $100 million, for a total of $200 million. The proposal also expands reimbursement for capital projects related to the implementation of community schools. Community schools provide a number of services to students and their parents, including mentoring, health care, summer programs and job training. Converting struggling and persistently struggling schools into community schools helps transform them into valuable neighborhood institutions that provide critical support to at-risk children as well as helps prevent them from being taken over by the state, noted Thiele.

Further, the Assembly’s budget proposal also:

• includes $10 million in grants for school districts with a growing enrollment of students who are English language learners;
• provides five-year financial assistance to school districts implementing full-day kindergarten programs; and
• includes $21 million for Career and Technical Education (CTE), while specifying that $1 million must be used to reduce barriers faced by English language learners and students with disabilities as well as promote gender diversity in CTE programs.

Expanding educational opportunities

To strengthen education services, the Assembly’s budget proposal includes:

• a $1 million increase in bilingual education services funding, for a total of $15.5 million;
• $14.3 million for Teacher Resource and Computer Training Centers;
• $1.5 million in restorations for the Consortium for Worker Education (CWE), for a total of $13 million, to provide career training and job placement services;
• $10 million in grants to school districts for additional services for homeless students;
• $1 million in additional funding for adult literacy education, for a total of $7.2 million;
• $4 million for SED to initiate professional development statewide;
• a 2 percent increase in funding for 4201 schools for the blind and deaf, for a total of $2 million, as well as a 2 percent increase in funding for special act school districts and 853 schools, to provide quality education to students with disabilities;
• a $2 million increase in the aidable cap for school transportation provided after 4 p.m.;
• $535,000 in restorations for the Smart Scholars Early College High School Program, which allows students to earn college credit while still in high school;
• a $500,000 increase in funding for math and science high schools; and
• $475,000 to restore funding for the Executive Leadership Institute, which offers professional development programs for school administrators.

Investing in SUNY

The Assembly believes all hardworking students deserve better access to affordable higher education in New York State. That’s why the Assembly budget proposal invests $1.7 billion in higher education, freezes SUNY tuition for the next two years and increases SUNY funding by $89.3 million over last year. The Assembly proposal also requires the executive to fund a five-year capital plan for SUNY going forward.

“A college education has become increasingly necessary to get a good job and build a secure life,” Assemblyman Thiele said. “And because of that, a college degree should not be something only the wealthy and fortunate can afford. Keeping a SUNY education accessible for every student is essential to ensuring opportunity and fairness throughout New York State.”

The Assembly also understands how vital a role community colleges play in New York’s public higher education system. The Assembly budget proposal includes an increase in support for SUNY community colleges of $100 per full-time equivalent (FTE) student, for a total of $2,697 per FTE student – representing significant mandate relief for counties.

Additionally, the Assembly’s budget proposal provides $400 million in capital funding for SUNY for critical maintenance efforts, an increase of $200 million over the governor’s proposal, as well as $200 million for critical expansion projects.

The Assembly proposal also:

• restores support for SUNY Health Science Centers by $18.6 million, for a total of $87.9 million, to help support New York’s world-class teaching hospitals;
• increases funding for Educational Opportunity Centers (EOC) by $5 million, for a total of $60 million;
• allocates $20 million in capital funding for EOCs;
• increases funding for ATTAIN work training computer labs by $2 million, for a total of $6.5 million;
• restores $600,000 for the Graduate Diversity Fellowships Program;
• allocates funding for the creation of a SUNY Clean Energy Workforce Opportunity Program.

To ensure SUNY students, faculty, staff and the community have continued access to a quality, affordable child care option, the Assembly budget proposal restores $1.1 million in funding to SUNY child care centers.

Increasing opportunity for all with the DREAM Act

For the fourth consecutive year, the Assembly’s budget proposal includes the DREAM Act, which would allow children of immigrants the opportunity to apply for a variety of state tuition-assistance programs to help them realize the goal of a college education. In addition to investing $27 million to provide eligible immigrant students with access to TAP, the Assembly’s version of the DREAM Act sets up the DREAM Fund, an initiative that would raise private funds to provide scholarships for eligible college-bound children with at least one immigrant parent. It also allows immigrant families who have a taxpayer identification number to open a New York 529 family tuition savings account.

“America is the land of opportunity, and it’s time New York State’s policies fully reflect that,” Thiele said. “Immigrant children, who have spent their lives aiming for success and working to fulfill their dreams and their family’s dreams, should never be treated as second-class citizens. They deserve the chance to earn a college degree just as much as any other student, and that’s exactly what the DREAM Act would ensure.”

Strengthening TAP, college opportunity programs

The Assembly has continually led the fight to ensure every New Yorker has the opportunity to obtain a college degree, especially in the face of ever-rising tuition costs. The Assembly’s budget proposal increases the maximum possible Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) award by $100, bringing the total award to $5,265.

The Assembly budget provides a 20 percent increase over last year for the following opportunity programs:

• Higher Education Opportunity Program (HEOP): $35.5 million, an increase of $5.9 million;
• Educational Opportunity Program (EOP): $32.2 million, an increase of $5.4 million;
• Search for Education, Elevation, and Knowledge program (SEEK): $28.1 million, an increase of $4.7 million;
• Liberty Partnerships: $18.4 million, an increase of $3.1 million;
• Science and Technology Entry Program (STEP): $15.8 million, an increase of $2.6 million;
• Collegiate Science and Technology Entry Program (CSTEP): $11.9 million, an increase of $1.9 million; and
• College Discovery Program: $1.3 million, an increase of $225,000.

Further, the Assembly’s proposal includes $3 million for the Foster Youth College Success Initiative – an increase of $1.5 million – to help these students overcome the challenges associated with being a part of the foster care system and support them throughout their college careers. And to better prepare teachers and prospective teachers for instructing at-risk students and to increase diversity within the teaching profession, the Assembly budget funds the Teacher Opportunity Corps program at $8.5 million, an $8 million increase over the executive proposal.

Protecting public libraries

Public libraries are an integral part of our communities, often offering everything from education materials, to technology access and job search resources, noted Thiele.

The Assembly’s budget proposal increases aid to public libraries by $5 million, for a total of $96.6 million, and provides an additional $10 million for library construction, for a total of $24 million.