Conference Subcommittee on Education

ALBANY - (3/17/14, 2:30 p.m., Hearing Room C, LOB)

The Joint Conference Budget Subcommittee on Education met this afternoon to discuss the committee's
progress during budget negotiations. Assembly members Nolan, Cook, Perry, Lifton, Ramos, Graf and Ra were
in attendance, joined by Senators Latimer, Ranzenhofer, Seward, Felder and Flanagan.
Member Nolan began the meeting by telling the Senate and Assembly members to lay out the respective
resolutions from each side.
Senator Flanagan gave a brief recap of the Education subcommittee budget and said that they are still waiting
for the table targets that will come from the General Conference Committee. He also stated that they should
discuss the layouts and priorities on when they should meet next to go over protocols and procedures.
Senator Flanagan said that he hopes the budget will be enacted on-time and hopefully be concluded next
week. He said the Senate has advocated previously and is still doing so now, that the GEA should go away as
soon as possible.
"If it happens in a finite time, it will be helpful to school districts, taxpayers and the legislative process if we can
say when it will be done," Flanagan said.
Flanagan said that part of their responsibility is to provide additional money and make sure there is flexibility so
that school districts don't have to make the choice of whether or not there will be kindergarten and pre-
kindergarten. "Those are choices we should not be facilitating," he said.
Member Nolan stated the Assembly's overall increase for public schools would be $1.1 billion, which is an
increase in formula based aids of over $970 million which reflects an increase of $402 million over the
executive budget's formula aid. The total general support for public schools would be $22.2 billion under the
Assembly's proposal which would be the largest since 2008-2009.
Nolan lauded the Assembly's GEA restoration of $367 million and noted that it is a $43 million addition to the
executive's proposal.
Nolan stated that the Assembly increased foundation aid and said it has been increased minimally since the
2008 economic down turn. She also said that the Assembly supports NYC Mayor de Blasio's proposal for
universal pre -kindergarten. Member Nolan said that the Assembly is all for flexibility but they also want to be
for foundation aid and for Universal Pre-Kindergarten. "We must move our children forward, so we have
endorsed the UPK proposal," Nolan said.
Senator Flanagan stated that the Senate is advocating for A53 school funding, which are public schools.
Flanagan says that the inclusion of the data freeze in the budget by the Governor is not prudent because
districts supply data to the state and therefore reject it. The building aid recalibration is also being repealed by
the Senate because it will save districts millions of dollars. Flanagan believes that the Senate and Assembly
can find a common ground on those issues.
Member Ra stated the GEA is one of the most important issues and hopes that it gets more chatter/recognition
as they move along.
Senator Latimer said that the Senate minority believes that the two most important issues are the allocation of
money and GEA adjustments.
Member Nolan, says that the Assembly supports the mayor's taxing policies to come up with an independent
revenue scheme for Kindergarten.
Emmanuel Oduor / New York StateWatch
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