After gaveling out of session earlier this afternoon, both the Senate and Assembly have left Albany in advance of the holidays over the next few days. The houses passed a short-term budget extender yesterday, funding payroll and other state government obligations through Tuesday, April 7. Upon their conclusion today, both houses announced plans to return to Albany when the current extender expires on April 7.
State and NYC revenue raisers, energy and environmental policy reforms and potential changes to how state and local officials work with federal immigration enforcement activities remain as the top three issues still being discussed. In a press conference yesterday, Senator Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins described budget negotiations as being at the “beginning of the middle” and noted that “we really haven’t started on the real money part of the budget yet.”
As negotiations continue, NYSSBA will be stressing the importance of school boards having timely and reliable school aid information, in support of local budget proposals. School boards must adopt their budget proposals by late April.
State Budget Advocacy
Our state budget advocacy work continues. Yesterday, NYSSBA joined a coalition representing superintendents, business officials, principals and administrators, parents and the state’s Big 5 school districts in releasing four state budget memos. The memos address our groups’ positions on Foundation Aid, special education funding, prior year aid claims and zero-emission buses. You can view those memos below.
The NYSSBA Governmental Relations team has been boots on the ground in the state Capitol throughout the past few weeks speaking with dozens of state legislators to share our final budget priorities. But you can do so as well! Through our Take Action email campaign, you can send these budget priorities directly to the Governor and your state legislators. The letter is customizable, enabling you to reflect the needs of your specific district or BOCES. And please feel welcome to share this opportunity with your broader school community.
NYSSBA will continue to keep you up-to-date on state budget negotiations.