May 9, 2023
Albany, NY

B-roll, Video, Audio, Photos & Rush Transcript: Governor Hochul Highlights Unprecedented Support for Education in FY 2024 Budget, Including $34.5 Billion in School Aid

Earlier today, Governor Kathy Hochul highlighted historic education funding included in the FY 2024 Budget, including a record $34.5 billion in total School Aid for school year 2023-24, marking the highest level of State aid ever. Governor Hochul was joined by students participating in a STEAM-focused after school program.

B-ROLL of the after school program is available on YouTube here and in TV quality (h.264, mp4) format here.

VIDEO of the event is available on YouTube here and in TV quality (h.264, mp4) format here.

AUDIO of the event is available here.

PHOTOS of the event will be available on the Governor's Flickr page.

A rush transcript of the Governor's remarks is available below:

So, I think I outside here we dedicated a beautiful railroad station and train station. You still like the train station? All right. All right. Let's keep that going. But this is really special to be at the Dutch Broadway School and just to see the energy in the classrooms and children who are, like I said, thriving in this environment and learning from each other. And it's really, really important that they have these opportunities to stimulate their young minds. And that's one of my highest priorities is to just get children excited about life and learning and help them see no matter what their age is, that there's great opportunities awaiting them because we as adults have a responsibility to pave that path for them.

And so, I know the last few years are really, really hard. It's hard to believe that it was three years ago that we were in the throes of the first round of the pandemic, COVID-19, and then we shifted to Omicron and other variants, but it really, really took its toll on our schools, our teachers, our administrators, and our kids, and I thank everyone who stuck with it, never gave up. And for the parents who were trying to be the teachers at the kitchen table sometimes, it was really, really a hard time and we're really still recovering from that. I mean, for someone to say just because the physical illness is over, it doesn't mean that there aren't lingering effects that we still have to deal with.

Yesterday, we did an event on mental health in my hometown in Buffalo - a few miles from here. And we talked about how there was always a stigma around getting mental health services because people, you know, you want to be tough, you don't want to act like you need help. But the number of people who've either themselves or know someone who sought help was like one in three Americans now, and the number of children who are really suffering and suicide rates, second leading cause of death for kids from 10 to 14. So, they're still suffering scars from the disconnection and the loss of learning and the loss of friendship for that time. And so, as adults, we have to always be cognizant of that and don't expect there to be a normal for a while, and we're not there yet, but you know, I'm going to make sure that I keep providing communities like this and educational schools the resources they need.

And so, it does come down to what your priorities are. A budget allows you to say, "These are my priorities." Last year, as a brand-new Governor, we broke all records with $31 billion in school aid - the most ever. And I said, "Well, how do you beat last year's record? You go even bigger." So, this year, we're on track to have $34.5 billion, the largest investment in schools in our state history. And that is a $2.5 billion increase in Foundation Aid. Foundation is to help those communities that were waiting a long, long time for this extra assistance. And now we are able to deliver an additional $24 billion. And so, let's see what this does for Long Island. Foundation Aid on Long Island is up 25 percent. The total increase is $772 million for Long Island alone. And the total overall - that's just the increase - the total of investment education for Long Island is nearly $5 billion - $4.8 billion. The highest school aid ever. So, we've been up since I've been Governor, 46 percent increase, which is just in the last two years - 46 percent increase. So that $1.1 billion is really - my view - is to help the children, make sure the schools are properly funded, but there's also an opportunity to help reduce or lessen the tax burden in our residents because we want to make sure that families can afford to stay and thrive right here on Long Island.

I spent a lot of time out here. People talk about potholes. I'm working on your potholes. We did a billion-dollar pothole initiative. They talk about the Islanders a lot depending on the time of year, but they also talk about property taxes all the time. And I thank our school boards and our superintendent and others for managing the finances in a way that, you know, right here, they're being good stewards of the dollars and saying that we know the tax burden is heavy, but school districts can play a role in reducing that tax burden, especially with the new infusion of funds from the state.

So, I want to give a professional shout out to the Elmont School District because they've actually lowered their taxes, responding to the needs of the parents and the businesses who have made their lives right here in this community. And I'm encouraging other school districts to follow the lead right here. Do what you need to do to help our kids, take care of our teachers and all the programs. But we have such an enormous amount of money coming to our school districts. I'm saying please use that to find a way to help reduce that burden on our taxpayers as well. So, they remain our taxpayers and their kids someday can raise their own families in the same community they went to school in themselves.

So, that's important. I know a lot of Long Islanders want to hear that. They want to hear more of it, but let's talk about a few things that are in our State Budget, the 2024 Budget, and I want to make sure we're supporting our kids at every single age. Let's start with the youngest ones, the pre-kindergartners. And I know that you have a full day preschool, universal pre-K. I commend you for that. That is really, really important. I was out in West Hempstead last year talking about our infusion of money. We've added more money, another $150 million to fully fund these programs. And right now, across the state, we have 96 percent of eligible preschoolers covered. I won't rest until it's 100 percent, but look how far we've come, an idea to have universal pre-k to really almost achieving it in its entirety. So, that is incredible progress.

Also, I'm very cognizant of the cost of living on young families. Not that I have a young family anymore, but I have a grandbaby, and I know that the cost of diapers and formula and the fact that they're outgrowing their clothes every five minutes it seems, and all the little toys you have to get them. So, it's really expensive. And we had a tax credit for families with children that were five and up, but there was nothing for families with infants to age four. And we looked at that in our Budget, said, "Yes, it's going to cost money, but why don't we just give an extra hand up for our families with young kids." And so, we are going to continue lightening the burden any way we can.

Also, I think about kids who are in schools. You know, sometimes we're not always sure what's going on at home, but they're not getting a good meal when they leave first thing in the morning, and they may not get a good meal when they get home at the end of the day. And little tummies growling. Even if adults are at work, they're hungry. They're not as productive, they're not paying attention. So, basically making sure that our kids are well-fed throughout the day with breakfast and lunch is so important just for their own development. So, I just want to make sure that we invest in the free school lunch program. This year we put $134 million to expand it. With this funding, we'll have 90 percent of New York State children eligible and be able to receive free lunches and breakfast every single day in their school. So, we're excited about that as well. And I want to make sure that we're also talking about how we get kids ready for careers. And what I just saw in the STEAM lab - and again, your principal is amazing. These kids, Chloe was one of them. They're so excited to show me - raise your hands, STEAM kids. All right, STEAM club. Well, were you having fun in there?

Every one of you was so enthusiastic when you described to me something that I have no idea how you did. They've programmed little Legos. Now when I play with Legos, okay, couple little buildings and maybe a little barn over here for a little pretend horse. They're building these vehicles that are able to use solar power to power different buildings. And I was like, "How do they know how to do that?" I was so impressed. And flying a drone, right in a classroom -- had to duck a couple times but that was good, it was part of the experience. And using coding to use 3D printing and creating a spaceship to Mars, a model of a spaceship to Mars. I mean, that was amazing. That was fun to watch you do that. And one on the ground. I wasn't quite sure how you made that happen, but you were able to program this little ball to go around and knock over little pins on the ground. So, I just saw the energy in that room as these children are learning how to solve complex problems, use their minds, think about math in a different way.

And really, my eyes are open to the reality that they are ready for the jobs of today and tomorrow because we are moving so quickly. This whole artificial intelligence revolution, what does that look like? And we're at the beginning of this. And it's going to be a very different world when they do graduate from school, all of you. And we have to prepare you to be able to accept those challenges by strengthening your mind and your capacity to learn now. And that's why I'm so excited.

And we're also investing - when you're a little bit older - in what we call the Smart Scholars Early College High School Program. I don't know who comes up with these really long names. I just make it a little bit shorter. There are also pathways in technology for early high school, early college, high school. And what this means is while you're still in high school, and you'll get there soon enough, you can actually be taking college classes, learning how to do things, skills that employers are looking at you because a lot of times, they're helping design the curriculum, they're saying, "As soon as they graduate, I want them." Now you may want to go on for community college, college or go to an apprenticeship program and learn. But I'm just telling you young people, people are waiting for you. Enjoy your childhoods. Don't rush it, but they're waiting for you. And what you're doing now by being in this club and pushing yourself and being willing to do this, there will be no limitations on you ever. Because the employers I'm talking to say we have to get more people with the skills. And so, those programs, we just invested another $20 million in.

It's going help you find great jobs. We're trying to invest more money into the careers that are coming - semiconductors. You know what a semiconductor is? It's powering their cell phones so you better like semiconductors. Your cell phone doesn't work without them. And guess what? I'm so excited because they used to be manufactured in other parts of the world, like Taiwan and Southeast Asia and China. We are bringing them right here to New York. There's a big company called Micron, they're going to be upstate, it's not that far, it's not as far as China. And so, we're going to be able to have jobs created right here on Long Island that are be part of what they call the supply chain. So, I'm telling you, as they build out these, these fab facilities over the next 20 years, they're going be begging for workers like all of you. So, they're investing $100 billion, that is the largest private sector investment in America. Right here in New York. Right here in New York.

So, it's about investing in our young people, putting money where our mouth is. Not just talking the talk but saying here is money for the programming that is be going to be successful. And building on our overall beliefs that there's still a lot of unrealized potential right here on Long Island. That's why last year working with the State Legislature, your Representatives here, we set aside $350 million just for Long Island. We call it the Long Island Innovation Fund, to really be a catalyst for opportunities for new jobs and working in our advanced manufacturing and life sciences, offshore wind. My gosh, there's going to be incredible jobs in the clean energy future when we shift to renewables, so there's so much going on here in Long Island. You've got great research corridors and synergy between all your educational institutions, making Stony Brook a flagship of the SUNY system. So, I just want to say I'm delighted to be here to see the people in person that are believing in our kids the way I do, and the young people who are seizing the opportunity to be part of clubs like you just saw here as well.

So, I want every child to have the same opportunities. My family's circumstances were radically changed because of a good education. My grandfather's grandparents were very, very poor. My dad worked at a steel plant until he got a college degree - worked making steel by day, and then he went to college at night. Lived in a trailer park with my mom. A bunch of little kids were born, and all of a sudden, my dad was able to walk across that stage with a college degree. He didn't have to work at the steel plant anymore. He could get a different kind of job.

Our family was lifted into the middle class because of a good education. I'm a product of public schools. My kids went to public schools. I believe in public education. So, I believe looking out here at these young people, our kids, our futures are in great hands. And with that, I'd like to, I believe there's going to be an introduction of our principal coming up and let me let that happen. But I want to thank her for her faith in this institution, her faith in our children, and her faith in making a brighter future for all. Thank you very much, Principal Qasim.

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