State Budget Extender #11 |
State Budget Update
Following Governor Hochul’s announcement of a “general agreement” on the state budget this past Thursday, and Speaker Heastie’s immediate response that there was no deal yet, no budget bills have been printed and no further updates on any potential deal have been released. This is now the latest state budget since 2010.
The legislature returned to Albany yesterday, and passed an 11th state budget extender. This extender funds state government operations through Thursday, May 14.
Possible Zero-Emission Bus Pushback
In recent days, multiple news reports have suggested a potential five-year delay of the zero-emission school bus transition mandate may be included as part of the forthcoming 2026-27 state budget, closely matching a bill (S.9667, Ryan / A.10896, Solages) that had recently been approved by the Senate Education Committee. According to the reports, the new purchase deadline would be moved from 2027 to 2032 and the all zero-emission deadline would move from 2035 to 2040. Reports come from Newsday and cnycentral.com.
As NYSSBA became aware of a possible deal, we joined the Educational Conference Board (ECB) in releasing a joint memo expressing support for such a delay. NYSSBA has consistently advocated for a repeal or significant delay of the mandate. We will keep you updated on any further developments on this important issue.
Federal School Choice Tax Credit
Also late last week, reports surfaced that Governor Hochul had expressed a willingness to opt New York in to the federal school choice tax credit that was enacted as part of federal budget reconciliation in 2025. Private education advocates expressed strong support of the Governor’s possible move. Yesterday, Governor Hochul argued that the tax credit would not reduce aid for public schools, and encouraged public schools and related organizations to look into establishing scholarship organizations to accept such donations. While designed to support private education institutions, the tax credit could also be available for organizations that support public schools.
Since last year, NYSSBA has called on the Governor and other state leaders to not opt-in to the federal tax credit program. In December, we joined the ECB in issuing a joint statement urging the Governor to reject the program. While the Governor has expressed an interest in opting-in, she has suggested she plans to wait for final guidelines to be released by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) before making any official decision. The state must opt-in before the end of 2026 in order for the state to participate in 2027.
This means you still have the chance to make your voices heard! NYSSBA has created a Take Action below, so that you can send a message to Governor Hochul calling on her to support public education by not opting New York in to the federal tax credit program. The message is crafted so that you can share the link with others within your school community.