Again, this year the legislators agreed with most of NYSUT’s suggestions for improving education, but most were silent about NYSUT’s suggestions on how to raise the additional funds by adding an additional tax on the ultra-millionaires or billionaires. One legislator did say he was against any additional taxes and made other suggestions. Each member was given a booklet to give to the legislators with NYSUT’s recommendations. Some of their ideas and topics we discussed with the legislators were:
- ~ Opposing the executive budget to apply a sliding scale in health care payment for fewer years’ service
- ~ Rejecting the proposal to shift the cost of Medicaid to the local if they don’t stay within the two percent property tax cap and the three percent Medicaid spending cap
- ~ Opposing the executive budget to have a flat dollar reimbursement rate and end income related Medicare adjustment amounts reimbursement
- ~Establishing protections for employees and their unions from negative effects of the 2018 Janus decisions
- ~ Restoring funding to SUNY hospitals
- ~ Providing $250 per FTE increase to CUNY community colleges and increase operative aid
- ~ Restoring Teacher Center funding to 2008-09 level
- ~ Opposing the executive budget proposal to shift the cost of special education residential placements from the Office of Children and Family Services to school districts
- ~ Increasing Foundation aid to repay $3.4 billion aid to 400 school districts because at the executive pace it will take more than 25 years to fully replay the money
- ~ Repealing the Receivership Law
- ~ Rejecting the increases in funding to charter schools
- ~ Increasing accountability and transparency of charter schools
- ~ Keeping the Charter School Cap in place and repealing the New York City Charter School Facilities Aid
- ~ Urging the legislature to provide $10 million each for the Teacher Loan Forgiveness Program, the Mentor-Teacher Internship Program and Teaching Opportunity Corps Program
- ~ Increasing aid able salary for all CTE programs
- Only Vote Cope money was used to fund the Committee of 100.
Respectfully submitted,
~Diana Torta
Committee of 100 delegate