New York’s legislative moms come out against school district funding cuts

The newly formed Mom Squad in the state Legislature are calling on New York’s first mom governor to reverse her school aid proposal that would lead to cuts for districts across the state.

The group of 18 legislators sent a letter to Gov. Kathy Hochul, shared with City & State,  denouncing the changes to the state’s Foundation Aid formula she proposed as part of her executive budget. “As parents, just like you, we want our children to have access to a high-quality public education,” the letter reads. “As moms in the legislature, we unequivocally oppose your proposal to cut basic operating aid.” It reiterates the assessment made by the state’s teachers’ union that the changes would result in $420 million in school aid cuts for roughly half of all districts across the state.

The letter comes on the heels of a report released by the Division of the Budget last week that found that the state would have an extra $1.35 billion in revenues compared to estimates in the executive budget. Assembly Member Jessica González-Rojas, who led the letter, said those extra funds should mean that Hochul should reverse the planned formula change and resulting cuts. “But beyond restoring proposed cuts, as a mother I want every child and family in New York to not only survive but thrive,” González-Rojas said. She has also championed legislation that would expand free school meals to every district in the state.

Hochul’s budget director Blake Washington, however, indicated explicitly that the newly assessed funds only further prove that the state doesn’t need additional taxes. On Tuesday, he told reporters that he hoped the extra $1.35 billion in revenues would “mute” calls from progressives in the state Legislature to raise or impose new taxes on the wealthy. Hochul has repeatedly said she would hold the line on taxes, but in an interview with Capital Tonight, Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie did not rule out backing new tax hikes in his chamber’s one-house budget rebuttal. 

But in the face of widespread backlash and expectation that legislative leaders will fight with the governor over school aid, Washington said the unexpected revenue makes it “fair game” to revisit Hochul’s school funding proposal.