Assemblymember Victor M. Pichardo (D-Bronx) announced that he helped pass the 2018-19 state budget, which makes a $26.6 billion investment in education – an increase of $914 million over last year. The budget also provides additional funding for college opportunity programs to support Bronx students hoping to make their college dreams a reality.
“A sound education provides the foundation our kids need to meet the challenges of the 21st-century economy. We must ensure that all students, no matter where they live or who they are, have a fair shot at success and that starts with fully funding our schools,” Pichardo said. “This was a tough budget to balance, but I fought to ensure that it expands opportunities for Bronx families and supports students from pre-K through college.”
The state budget increases Foundation Aid by $618 million – for total of $17.8 billion – and invests a total of $96.6 million in local libraries, an increase of $1 million over last year. Public libraries are a vital resource for job seekers, students and the community as a whole, Pichardo noted.
To help close the opportunity gap for young men and boys of color in the Bronx, Pichardo successfully helped secured over $18 million to continue supporting President Obama’s My Brother's Keeper initiative. The program focuses on building community engagement resources that increase academic strength and social capital for underachieving young men of color.
Pichardo also fought to ensure the budget invests in higher education and helps more Bronxites go to college. It includes a measure spearheaded by Pichardo ensuring students attending proprietary colleges are eligible to apply for scholarship opportunities under the Enhanced Tuition Awards program. Pichardo recently successfully fought to pass this legislative measure in the Assembly.
“As the cost of higher education continues to climb, it’s imperative that we expand scholarship programs so that every student has the opportunity to attend college” said Pichardo. “It’s about financial equity for students. So I fought tooth-and-nail to make sure it wasn’t lost in the budget shuffle.”
An additional measure would make all students attending a public, private or other certified degree-granting institution eligible for the New York State STEM Incentive Program.
The budget also restores $23.8 million to support college opportunity programs, which help academically and financially disadvantaged students succeed in college. The plan allocates:
$35.5 million for the Higher Education Opportunity Program (HEOP);
$32.2 million for the Educational Opportunity Program (EOP);
$28.1 for the Search for Education, Elevation, and Knowledge (SEEK) program; and
$1.3 million for the College Discovery program.
Pichardo helped secure $15 million for the Zoos, Botanical Gardens and Aquariums Program, which offers grants through the state Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. This funding will help ensure the Bronx Zoo continues to be an educational resource for students and families alike, noted Pichardo.
In addition, the budget provides a $6 million funding increase in the Foster Youth Initiative and restores $2.5 million to the CUNY Accelerated Study in Associate Program (ASAP), which helps covers tuition and non-tuition related expenses such as textbooks, transportation assistance and tutoring assistance. The budget also provides $902,000 in total funding for CUNY Child Care Centers.
EDITOR'S NOTE:
While we applaud Assemblyman Pichardo for having these numbers so quickly about education, but we have a few questions for the good assemblyman.
Assemblyman Pichardo, how can a student learn in a current NYCHA building where there is lead paint, no heat or hot water, mold, roaches, mice and other vermin, as well is the case in many of the other buildings in your district with the same poor living conditions?
Assemblyman Pichardo, with Mayoral control of the public schools a failure, as most of the public schools in your district are below citywide statistics how can you tell a parent to send their children to a public school in your district?
Assemblyman Pichardo, with such poor public schools how can you expect students to get into a college, junior college, or let along graduate from high school on time?
Assemblyman Pichardo there are many more questions to ask you, and we would like to sit down with you to interview you. Is that possible? You have our e-mail, please let us know when this can happen, and before the September Primary please?
