The Assembly has provided a final state budget that makes an historic investment in New York’s education system, providing an unprecedented increase to help students succeed in an ever-changing global economy. This budget continues our effort to help provide every single one of our children with not just a sound, basic education - but a first-class, quality education that will help them thrive.

Under the largest education investment in New York State history, schools in the 120th Assembly District will receive over $333 million. (Click here to view 2007-2008 School Aid) The budget also provides $43.4 million (Click here to view 2007-2008 Universal Prekindergarten Aid) more to advance the Assembly’s plan to provide statewide universal pre-K and ensure that every 4-year-old in the state has the opportunity to get a head start on school. This expansion will allow more New York children to reap the lasting benefits of attending pre-K, which studies show again and again give our children an advantage in student achievement, college enrollment and future earnings.

Specifically, the budget provides schools with the following aid increases over last year:

• Syracuse will receive a 9% increase over last year;
• Baldwinsville will receive a 6.6% increase;
• Solvay will receive a 15.8% increase;
• Westhill will receive a 6.8% increase; and
• West Genesee will receive a 11.6% increase.

Included in the budget is the governor’s new foundation education formula for predictable, stable and transparent funding. This education formula is something the Assembly has insisted on for over a decade and is a monumental step forward. While the governor’s education formula is a solid structure for reform, I have sponsored legislation along with Senator DeFrancisco which will go even further to improve equity in the funding of school districts. The legislation is based on a formula developed over the past decade by the Statewide School Finance Consortium, and is a system that is more predictable for taxpayers and school districts (A.6459).

One hundred more charter schools are authorized under the budget and reforms are put into place to ease the financial impact on local school districts, increase accountability, and ensure communities have a voice in where they are located. This budget plan will help ensure charter schools open in communities where they make sense, while protecting the students who attend our traditional public schools.

The governor’s Contract for Excellence – agreements between the state and school districts receiving significant funding that will ensure that principals and superintendents are doing all they can to improve the standards and success of our schools – are supported in the budget. We worked hard to come together with the governor and Senate to pass a budget that makes a vast investment in New York’s education system. This year’s budget is certainly a move in the right direction for the children of Central New York.