Albany, NY – A group of state legislators who are mothers have sent a letter to Governor Kathy Hochul asking her to reverse her proposed cuts to schools. The Assembly Members and State Senators wrote “as moms in the legislature, we unequivocally oppose your proposal to cut basic operating aid” and noted that the proposal would result in a cut of at least $420 million to schools. They also shared their opposition to changes to the hold harmless provision and pointed to federal COVID-19 relief dollars that the state received expiring this year.

The push comes as the Fiscal Policy Institute recently published a report, which found an additional $1.35 billion in revenue to the total projected revenue for Fiscal Year 2025 and the remainder of Fiscal Year 2024. The legislators lauded her for previously fully funding schools, writing that “as a result of your leadership, our schools were fully funded just a few months ago and that is what it means when moms lead.” Anticipating pushback on questions as to where the state would find a source of revenue to reverse the cuts, the legislators called for the Governor to support revenue raising legislative proposals.

The Mom Squad, a group of legislators who are parents, has gained some recognition as a bloc this budget cycle, which is the largest group of mothers in the State Legislature’s history. The letter also gained bipartisan support with Assembly Assistant Minority Leader Pro Tempore Mary Beth Walsh signing onto the letter.

“As mothers in the legislature we are grateful to the Governor for her previous and historic funding to schools with foundation aid. This is what it means when moms and women lead. And that is why we are asking her to reverse these cuts now. Recent forecasting has resulted in an unexpected surplus of $1.3 billion in revenue, which means that we don’t need to cut schools. But beyond restoring proposed cuts, as a mother I want every child and family in New York to not only survive but thrive. No one loves like a mother. And it is out of love that we call for us to include revenue raising proposals in the enacted budget, because no child should go to bed homeless or hungry in our state. It is time to do things differently and lead with love and not austerity,” said Assembly Member Jessica González-Rojas.

Senator Cordell Cleare said:"The proposed cuts by the Governor to the Education Budget are not only a non-starter but they are unwise and unconscionable.Furthermore, they are unnecessary as many sources of revenue are available to us to help pay for education, housing, senior services and other imperative investments."

“As leaders, we have an obligation to provide the best for our children, and that means ensuring that our schools have the equitable investment they need. I’m proud to stand with my colleagues in calling for the support and resources our young people need to thrive,” said State Senator Samra Brouk.

“I stand with my fellow moms and colleagues in the state legislature, as well as educators and advocates for equitable public education, to strongly oppose the Governor's proposed cuts to operating aid for New York schools. With federal funding expiring, and many of our schools struggling to meet the growing needs of their students in a post COVID world, a cut of $420 million in operating aid would be devastating to our most marginalized youth. Every child in New York state deserves access to quality, equitable public education, regardless of the zip code they live in,” said Assembly Member Sarah Clark.