For Immediate Release: June 14, 2016

Contact: Gary Ginsburg | ginsburg@nysenate.gov | 518-455-2415

Leader Stewart-Cousins, Senator Kaminsky And Senate Democrats

Urge GOP Not To Strip Funding From Schools
(Albany, NY) Today, Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, Senator Todd Kaminsky and Members of
the Senate Democratic Conference called for the Senate Republican Majority to pass legislation,
which is sponsored by a Republican Senator, that would decouple performance reviews from
state aid. Senator Kaminsky has been circulating a petition urging Majority Leader Flanagan to
bring Senate Bill S.7632 to the floor for a vote that has been signed by all Senate Democrats.
Its crucial for the majority of school districts across New York State who are unable to comply
with this misguided policy that we act now before the end of session, Senate Democratic
Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins said. Our struggling schools simply cannot afford to lose any
funding. We are telling the Senate Republican Majority that this legislation has the full support
of our conference and if they brought it to the floor today it would pass -- helping hundreds of
school districts across the state.
Senator Todd Kaminsky said, We must not allow politics to get in the way of fixing a wrong
and doing the right thing for our childrens education. On Long Island alone, school districts risk
being penalized $300 million. Taking action now will prevent our school districts from having
crucial funding ripped away from them. Democrats and Republicans alike support this
legislation and there is no reason we cant work together to pass it before the end of session.
In a letter to Majority Leader Flanagan that accompanied the petition, Senator Kaminsky
highlighted that only 121 out of the over 700 school districts in the state have submitted
evaluation plans. This fact proves that many schools are having difficulty meeting the Albanymandated criteria, raising deep concerns that the impending deadline will negatively impact
public students. The deadline for school districts to submit their plans to the State Education
Department is June 30th. School districts statewide risk losing $2 billion in fines.
Senator George Latimer, Ranking Member on the Senate Education Committee, said, It
would be a travesty to penalize our school districts because of the states bad education policy.
This is funding that should be going to our kids education. Our kids, parents, teachers and
taxpayers deserve better. Lets come together and pass this legislation before the end of session.
Senator Joseph P. Addabbo, Jr. said, I believe that tying state education aid to the adoption of
teacher evaluation plans by school districts was wrong when it was approved as part of the State
Budget last year, and its wrong now. I voted against it then, and still believe it is bad public
policy to hold our school children and educators hostage to a discredited evaluation model that is

ripe for reform, already under close scrutiny by the State Education Department, and likely
subject to significant change.
Senator Martin Malav Dilan said, Tying teacher evaluations to education funding was a
capitulation last year; one that many of us rightly derided and warned of the outcome. As
expected, mandating untested standards on our schools as a condition of their funding, has
proved flawed. Whats worse, is that this political experiment stands to negatively impact more
than 80 percent of the school districts and students we are obligated to help.
Senator Jesse Hamilton said, "The education New Yorks students deserve will not be advanced
by state aid shortfalls, a crisis in submission of performance evaluation plans, or further obstacles
to getting our educators and students necessary resources. Thats why I join my colleagues in
support of calling for the decoupling of state aid and performance evaluations."
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New York State Senate | DemocraticConferenceNews@nysenate.gov | 518-455-2415