ALBANY, N.Y. (December 13, 2021) — In response to the New York State Board of Regents’ education proposal that was released Monday, public education advocacy organization the Alliance for Quality Education released the following statement:
“The State Board of Regents, under the leadership of Chancellor Young and Commissioner Rosa, continue to urge the state to make strategic investments in education equity in order to support New York’s most vulnerable students. The proposal includes continuing with year 2 of the phase-in for Foundation Aid, with an increase of $1.5 billion, prioritizing high need districts. We commend the Board and the Commissioner for their proposals to address fluctuations of enrollment, fully funding expense based aids and adjusting the formulas to increase funding for instructional material. In addition, we are in full support of the proposals to fund the Dignity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives such as funding creating culturally responsive and sustaining resources, creating multiple pathways to graduation, and increasing the department’s capacity. Notably missing from the Regents’ proposal is a call for additional funding for the continued expansion of Pre-K. Many districts outside of New York City still do not provide Universal Pre-K. New York State must continue to invest in young learners by providing high quality, full day Pre-K to all 3 and 4 year olds.
“We look forward to working in partnership with the New York State Board of Regents to urge the Governor and legislature to include these strategic investments in education in the upcoming state budget.”