As the pandemic rages on, our public schools have struggled to create a safe environment for students and make learning possible, whether in person or remote. That is because schools are not receiving nearly enough resources to take on the monumental challenge of COVID-19. Almost half of students in New York still do not have a device or internet to access remote learning resources and classrooms. The $4 billion that Congress approved will help districts to provide basic learning tools to get through this crisis. Email Governor Cuomo and your State Legislators now and tell them that the federal relief package MUST reach public schools immediately.
This funding is especially important for our public schools because the federal school aid that was previously included in the CARES Act — the stimulus package that Congress passed last March — was negated by an equal-sized cut that Governor Cuomo and New York State rammed through in the final minutes of budget negotiations.
We cannot let that happen again. For public schools to receive the relief they so badly need and for the stimulus money to have its intended impact, Governor Cuomo cannot not use this as an opportunity to cut from the state’s education budget. And for New York’s schools to avoid a funding cliff next year, the State Legislature must take action to create a stable and recurrent source of funding for our public schools.
New York must raise revenue now that will continue to fund schools year after year. Tell the Governor and your State Legislators that the federal relief package MUST reach public schools immediately. Tell them that they need to raise revenues to supplement this funding and build a solid foundation for stable funding. Take action now.