Senator Shelley B. Mayer on Governor Kathy Hochul's State of the State Address

I am very pleased with Governor Kathy Hochul’s plan, which she announced today, to honor our commitment to fully fund Foundation Aid this year. The Governor’s proposal to increase Foundation Aid by 13%, $2.7 billion, reflects our common goal of providing a ‘sound basic education' to every child. In addition, the Governor's commitment to expanding full day pre-k for 4 year olds, the plan to address learning loss, and her promise to expand Early College and P-Tech schools, are truly welcome initiatives. I also applaud her commitment to facilitating stronger communication and interaction between our Pre-K-12 schools and our higher education and workforce partners. This is an excellent start to the budget process surrounding education, and I look forward to working with the Governor and my legislative colleagues, as well as the State Education Department, in our collective determination to serve New York’s children. I am hopeful the proposed budget also contains the necessary funding to provide school lunch to every child, a promise we must fulfill. We will continue to prioritize education as the State’s primary obligation to every child.