Increased school aid coupled with lack of mandate relief
Assemblyman Andrew Garbarino (R,C,I-Sayville), an ardent supporter of the education of our children, is pleased to announce that as the result of weeks of diligent work, each school district within the 7th Assembly District has been granted an increase in school aid and a reduction in the Gap Elimination Adjustment (GEA).
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“Ensuring proper funding for our school districts was my top priority during this year’s budget negotiations,” said Garbarino. “These kids are the leaders of tomorrow, and it is our duty as legislators to do whatever we can to ensure that they receive the best education possible.
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“I am also very pleased that we were able to ensure that over $600 million was allocated to restore the GEA cuts to our schools. This was of vital importance and, although it does not go far enough, it is a step in the right direction. I will continue to fight for our children’s education and ensure that we make further strides toward the complete restoration of the GEA funding cuts.
“On the other hand, I was disappointed to see that many aspects of the budget were focused solely on New York City. Universal pre-K, while a great idea, is not being implemented properly, with over $300 million in funding given to New York City and only $40 million to the rest of the state.
“Sadly, effective mandate relief was the most pressing issue for our local municipalities in this year’s budget and we failed to even address it. Local property taxes across the state continue to skyrocket as the result of costly and unfunded state-mandated programs and services. We had an opportunity to address this problem and improve the financial stability of our local municipalities but we failed to do so.
“Despite some of its shortcomings, this budget was an overall victory for the hard-working families and schools of Suffolk County. If you have any specific questions about what was included in the budget, please reach out to my Albany office at (518)-455-4611.”
Assemblyman Garbarino represents the 7th Assembly District on Long Island.
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