ALBANY, N.Y. Dec. 22, 2020 — New York State United Teachers President Andy Pallotta released the following statement today regarding funding for New York K–12 schools and colleges included in the federal COVID emergency relief package:
“It is welcome news that this relief package would bring sorely needed support for New York schools and colleges, and we thank Sen. Schumer and the rest of the delegation for fighting hard for New York to receive significant funding. We agree with interim state Education Commissioner Betty Rosa and the Board of Regents that the billions earmarked for our K–12 schools should be used to supplement state aid and to keep aid payments to school districts flowing in full.
“To be sure, this COVID relief package represents one step on the road to economic recovery. We’ll be fighting alongside the New York delegation for additional federal assistance, specifically for state and local governments, in early 2021. Here in Albany, we also continue to support asking the ultrawealthy to pay their fair share in state taxes in the upcoming legislative session. This two-pronged approach in the new year is essential for preventing devastating cuts and restoring funding to public schools and colleges that students and families have relied on during this pandemic.”
New York State United Teachers is a statewide union with more than 600,000 members in education, human services and health care. NYSUT is affiliated with the American Federation of Teachers, the National Education Association and the AFL-CIO.