“I understand the importance and value of higher education in our society, but this measure will only expand our ballooning state debt. The governor’s proposal adds an additional $27 million to a state education system that is already struggling to receive proper funding for the initiatives and services it currently provides.”

“Our students are crippled with college debt, and with rising tuition costs for both state and private schools, it’ll only get worse now. By the end of 2017, the average student debt was $39,400, and for many New York graduates, it’s hard make ends meet. Our state coffers shouldn’t be used as a piggy bank for liberal spending when local students are already so overburdened. If we only expand our education system without including economic growth, students will continue to leave college without jobs in their respective fields.”