Bronx, NY – Assemblyman Dinowitz (D-Bronx) called for an end to the funding inequities in public schools in New York State. According to a report by the Alliance for Quality Education and the Public Policy and Education Fund of New York, New York City schools are still due $2.5 billion as mandated by a 2006 ruling by the New York State Court of Appeals.

The report found that schools in the 81st Assembly District alone are owed a total of $61,875,115, the fourth highest in the city. Four of the ten assembly districts owed the most money are in the Bronx.

Assemblyman Dinowitz said, "It’s time to stop the chronic underfunding of New York City schools in our state budget. I am disappointed that Governor Cuomo’s executive budget proposal failed to provide adequate resources for our children’s education. Proposals to increase the weight of teacher evaluations, provide tuition tax credits, and raise the cap on charter schools merely distract from the root of our education system’s problems: that schools in New York City are severely underfunded, and have been for decades.”

“Despite a 2006 ruling by the New York State Court of Appeals that this state’s current funding levels were unconstitutional, nine years later, New York City’s schools still suffer from under-investment. The one million students in New York City’s public schools deserve better. I am pleased that my colleagues and I in the Assembly have resolved to significantly increase funding for our schools in the 2015-2016 budget. I call on Governor Cuomo and the Senate to join us in taking a significant step towards closing this funding gap,” Assemblyman Dinowitz concluded.