Senator Mayer Calls for Shared Sacrifice from Ultra-Millionaires to Avoid Education Cuts

Today, State Senator Shelley B. Mayer, Chair of the Senate Education Committee, issued the following statement:
“As we now know, NYS is projected to lose billions in tax revenue due to the coronavirus crisis, threatening essential school funding. We have seen so many people sacrifice so much throughout this crisis—first responders, laid-off employees, their families, and our businesses large and small. Now is the time to ask our highest earning New Yorkers to step up and pay a greater share. I am urging adoption of a state budget that includes a higher tax rate on those earning $5 million or more to help avoid education cuts and add over $2 billion to our state coffers. During this difficult time, we have asked our teachers to transform their teaching to “distance learning”, we have directed our schools to serve as child care providers, and we have asked schools to ensure our children are fed when schools are closed. Our schools and teachers stepped forward to do so. I believe that we cannot have our children’s education suffer as a result of this pandemic. We can avoid having to cut teachers, social workers, mental health professionals, and other resources by sharing the sacrifices fairly with those most able to pay.”