Kaminsky Introduces Bill to Expand Scholarship Opportunities To Long Beach & Rockville Centre Grads

(Albany, NY) – Senator Todd Kaminsky introduced legislation (S.7650) to grant students participating in an International Baccalaureate (IB) program the ability to be considered for the NYS Achievement and Investment Merit Scholarship (NY-AIMS).  Currently, students participating in an IB -program are specifically excluded from obtaining the NY-AIMS.

An IB program offers four challenging educational curricula for more than 4,500 schools in 147 countries, focused on preparing students for life in a globalized 21st century and developing responsible citizens who will create a more peaceful society.  Long Beach and Rockville Centre high schools are among those that offer an IB program to students.

NY-AIMS offers financial assistance to exceptional high school graduates who plan to enroll in a private or public college in New York State immediately after graduation.  Kaminsky’s bill closes the gap and increases accessibility to financial assistance for hundreds of college-bound students.

“College costs are soaring and there are hundreds of high-achieving students across the state who are missing out on needed financial aid because of a simple oversight,” said Senator Kaminsky.  “This easy fix will make the NYS-AIM program more inclusive so that all qualified students -- including those enrolled in an IB program -- are able to pursue their dreams at New York colleges and universities.”

“As an International Baccalaureate school, we are most appreciative of Senator Kaminsky’s advocacy on behalf of our IB students,” said Rockville Centre UFSD Superintendent William Johnson.  “This legislation will open doors of opportunity for students to who this may not otherwise be available.”

“Senator Kaminsky’s legislation corrects a significant oversight in the new NYS-AIMS by incorporating International Baccalaureate students statewide in the scholarship plan, including over 300 Long Beach High School students,” said Long Beach Schools Superintendent David Weiss.  “This will tremendously benefit students in the over 50 schools statewide that offer the International Baccalaureate exam, of which over 21,000 exams were given last year.”