ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) — This week on Empire State Weekly: education advocates continued to push back against proposed changes to foundation aid in the executive budget. At a hearing, the Education Commissioner explained the changes would impact over 330 schools. Melinda Person, the President of the New York State United Teachers Union (NYSUT) explained that [...]
ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) — This week on Empire State Weekly: education advocates continued to push back against proposed changes to foundation aid in the executive budget. At a hearing, the Education Commissioner explained the changes would impact over 330 schools.
Melinda Person, the President of the New York State United Teachers Union (NYSUT) explained that the foundation aid formula determines how much funding public schools receive from the state. The proposed decrease of more than 400 million would impact more than half of all districts in the state.
"State funding accounts for over 40% of the money that our schools receive, and when that money drops off or is cut, that burden either falls to property taxpayers, or school programs are cut. We're hearing now from districts that are looking at these proposed cuts, that they may be eliminating elementary STEM programs or cutting intramurals or high schools are stopping offering special enrichment or AP classes. There's a real impact on our students when the state does not fulfill its obligation to fund the schools" Said Person.
Also this week, Thomas Gant, the Community Organizer for the Center for Community Alternatives Inc. explained his group's support of a proposal to close a maximum of five prisons across the state. He explained his belief that the closure of prisons as well as sentencing reforms will positively impact communities.
"I would just say to the corrections unions that these bills would encourage and foster a more safer community in prison right? If I have the motivation to do the right thing because I can earn time off my sentence because I can be released sooner and go home and be productive right, if I can gain some skills while I'm in prison then it would be safer from an operational stance" Said Gant.
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