The State legislature concluded their week of work in Albany earlier today - their last day of legislative session prior to the state’s April 1st budget deadline - with budget negotiations still ongoing. While a final budget remains to be agreed upon, both the Senate and Assembly passed their first budget bill today funding the state’s debt service, traditionally the first budget bill that is addressed each year.
The legislature will be off on Monday, in conjunction with the Eid al-Fitr holiday, and will return to Albany on Tuesday, April 1st. In order to meet specific state payroll obligations, the legislature will likely need to approve a short-term budget extender on that first day back in Albany. Based on public comments by the Governor and both legislative leaders, the large outstanding items still under discussion include involuntary confinement, criminal discovery reform, the banning of mask wearing during protests and funding for the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA). Different from last year, school aid does not seem to be a controversial issue this year.
The Governor’s proposed bell-to-bell ban on the student use of smart devices in schools has also been a topic of active debate in recent weeks. However, both legislative leaders suggested this week that their respective majority conferences are perhaps shifting towards agreement with the Governor’s proposal. NYSSBA has stressed our preference for proposals that would allow for greater local flexibility with smart device policies, especially governing use during non-instructional time.
Until a final budget is agreed upon, NYSSBA will continue to advocate for inclusion of our budget and legislative priorities – and we encourage you to do the same with your state legislators. In support of those efforts, below are NYSSBA’s final state budget priorities, memos NYSSBA has jointly issued with many of our education partners, and our state budget Take Action email campaign.
Joint Memo on Smartphone Devices
ECB BOCES CTE Salary and Special Services Aid Memo
ECB Memo on Prior Year Aid Claims Funding
Joint Memo on Retiree Earnings Cap
ECB Memo on Zero-Emissions School Bus Mandate
2025 Resolutions Process
Thank you to those of you who responded to our recent resolutions survey. Results will be included in our Resolutions Kit, which will be distributed to the full membership by mid-April. The distribution of the Kit will also serve as the formal opening of our resolution submission window, which will be open through mid-July.