Gov. Cuomo visits a school (photo: governor's office)
Thanks to the election of the Biden-Harris ticket and a newly Democratic U.S. Congress, New York can expect much more favorable treatment in any new federal pandemic relief program than it would have received from the Trump administration or Republican Congress.
But however much New York gets from the federal government in the coming months, it won’t be enough for our public school children if the state uses that federal aid to replace rather than add to the state’s own funding of our public schools.
The $1.1 billion in federal stimulus money already received went to local school districts. But at the same time New York state officials used the new money as an opportunity to lower the state’s own school funding.
In general, federal funds are supposed to be used to supplement rather than to supplant or replace local contributions, but unfortunately, the current pandemic relief plan leaves the states some flexibility to reduce their own investments in education.
New York’s budget problems are real, with tax revenues declining in many areas because of the damage the coronavirus epidemic has done to our economy. The state’s most recent estimates predict a total deficit of more than $60 billion for the next four years.
The good news — at least for the moment — is that according to both the state and city fiscal officials, tax revenues have come in somewhat above the most pessimistic projections, and new federal funds can certainly help close remaining budget gaps.
But when our schools fully re-open, we won’t be getting back to the pre-covid world.
The “new normal” will include hundreds of thousands of students who have lost weeks of valuable learning time, despite the heroic efforts by teachers, both in classrooms and online. That deficit must be made up.
Most importantly, our schools will also need significant new investments in mental health services to help children manage the emotional damage caused by the sickness and deaths of loved ones, along with the prolonged isolation that affected so many families.
Schools are far from the only areas that will need new funding to deal with the long-term effects of the pandemic. Too many New Yorkers will continue to struggle with unemployment, homelessness, and food scarcity.
The state’s budget process will have to balance these needs with available federal help and the strength of the New York economic recovery, which could take years. Additional revenue ideas now on the table range from levies on the legalized sale of marijuana and on-line gambling to increased taxes on the wealthy.
There will also be other possibilities, which the Legislature can weigh.
But whatever strategies the state develops to deal with the budget challenges posed by the pandemic, our children will have to meet the challenges of a post-covid society. They won’t be able to do so if the schools never see their fair share of new funds.
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Michael Mulgrew is the president of the United Federation of Teachers. On Twitter @UFT.
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Governor Cuomo at a state prison (photo: governor's office)
For nearly a year, we’ve borne witness to the devastating effects of COVID-19. We wept at the sight of fellow New Yorkers entering hospitals, and at the images of trucks storing our deceased neighbors. But there are tens of thousands of New Yorkers whose pandemic traumas have, by design, been kept out of our sight. They are the hardest hit and the least protected. These are the New Yorkers incarcerated in jail and prison cages across the state, and our state leaders are failing them when they need help the most.
New York’s incarceration problem isn’t new or unique, but the failure of state leaders to respond to COVID-19 behind bars has spiraled an already horrifying crisis to new lows. With no option for social distancing, poor access to hygiene, and inadequate medical care, jails and prisons are coronavirus hot spots. Thousands upon thousands of people across New York’s jails and prisons have contracted the virus, and dozens have died. Inexcusable delays in testing made tracking the virus’ spread incredibly difficult. And a recent plan to vaccinate incarcerated people, which was only prompted by litigation, will only apply to people aged 65 and over and people the prison system deems as “medically frail.” It’s unconscionable that all people in jails and prisons aren’t being offered the vaccination like other people in congregate settings across the state.
This intensifying crisis didn’t prompt the immediate action we needed or that public health experts urged — to curb admissions and to release as many vulnerable people as possible. Instead, state leaders did the opposite. The historic bail reform laws passed in 2019 were working to bring the state’s pretrial population to historic lows at the beginning of the pandemic. However, months into the worsening outbreak, state leaders gutted key provisions, bringing the jail population up nearly 30% higher than before these rollbacks went into effect.
Just as troubling is the failure to release those inside state prisons. Over the past year, a shrinking number of people have been granted parole and New York’s strict parole laws mean that far too few can access this opportunity for release. This is unfortunately nothing new.
Before the pandemic, our elected leaders fell victim to the fear-mongering tactics that some backwards-facing members of law enforcement and media have recycled for decades. When bail reform passed in 2019, law enforcement flooded the media with inaccurate stories that were filled with lies and anti-Black rhetoric. The evidence has long made clear that reducing incarceration does not lead to increases in crime and, in the case of New York, bail reforms did not impact crime rates, according to the NYPD’s own data. What these reforms did was dramatically decrease unnecessary pretrial jailing at a time when jail made people four times as likely to contract COVID-19.
We cannot afford another legislative session of pandering to these dangerous fictions.
In November, voters gave New York elected leaders a mandate: pass bold criminal justice reforms that bring our families and neighbors home and make our communities safe.
Our state leaders must take action to protect the more than 30,000 people in New York prisons. Even as some vaccinations roll out, Governor Cuomo must use his clemency power to immediately release people who are older, immunocompromised, and nearing release. The Legislature must work to reform a parole system that has resulted in far too few releases. Passage of both the Fair & Timely Parole Act and the Elder Parole bill will begin to offer the release opportunities people in prisons deserve.
Elected leaders must also revisit bail reform, be honest about why they rolled so much of it back, and actively work to address the rapidly increasing jail populations driven by their misguided rollbacks. The same leaders who invoked the names of Kalief Browder and Layleen Polanco to demonstrate the injustice of pretrial incarceration must recommit to bail reform so that too many other New Yorkers don’t come to the same tragic fate.
New York leaders failed to meet the moment to address COVID-19 behind bars, and they must act now before more lives are lost. It’s our moral obligation and it is in the interest of both our collective public health and safety.
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Rodney Holcombe is FWD.us’ New York Criminal Justice Director. On Twitter @rodnationn & @FWDus.
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Green investments are the future (photo: MTA/Patrick Cashin)
2021 has the potential to be a pivotal year for New Yorkers. Vaccine distribution is underway, and plans are being drafted to rebuild New York’s economy. As state leaders consider how to address the state’s deficit and create a sustainable future, investing in environmental programs is the answer.
Environmental programs, such as the Environmental Protection Fund, are proven to aid in state economic recovery, create good-paying jobs, and strengthen local economies while protecting our environment and mitigating the effects of climate change. This is what New Yorkers need and Governor Cuomo is already leading the charge.
In his 2021 executive budget proposal, the governor continued his commitment to conservation by including funding for critical environmental programs, despite the deficit caused by the pandemic. The Nature Conservancy of New York, along with over 175 organizations in the New Yorkers for Clean Water & Jobs Coalition, were thrilled that Governor Cuomo is maintaining record funding levels for environmental programs.
The governor announced a continued commitment of $300 million for the Environmental Protection Fund (EPF), which supports 350,000 jobs across several industries, including construction, agriculture, recreation, tourism, forestry, recycling, and recreational fishing. EPF-supported industries add $40 billion to the state’s economy every year. By making this continued investment, we’re protecting local jobs, while also preventing pollution, improving public health, and ensuring clean air and water.
The governor’s budget also devotes $440 million for State Parks capital projects over the next four years. Every dollar invested in state parks generates $5 of economic activity. Aside from the economic lifeline this funding brings to local communities, we have seen the importance of parks and outdoor spaces in the past year. Public parks experienced the highest ever visitation in 2020, with a record 78 million visitors. This comes as the state continues to open new parks and trails, like the Empire State Trail, that keep us connected to nature when we need it most.
We’re also excited to see a $550 million commitment for water infrastructure projects. We need to update our water and wastewater systems now to provide clean, safe water for communities across the state and protect our beloved lakes, rivers, bays, and harbors. For every $1 million in state investment, we’re able to create 17 local jobs.
As we continue to navigate our way out of this budget crisis and face down the threats of climate change, we look forward to working with the State Legislature to reinstate the $3 billion Environmental Bond Act to build a more sustainable future for New York. A recent report showed that the Bond Act has the potential to support 65,000 jobs in the state, resulting in an estimated $6.7 billion in project spending. We cannot pass on this opportunity to put people back to work.
Labor, business, and environmental leaders all agree that the Environmental Bond Act will help build a sustainable future for New Yorkers. It will modernize the state’s water infrastructure, improve public health, reduce flood risks, and enhance the quality of life for millions of people.
It’s clear that we need these critical environmental programs not just to protect and preserve our beautiful state, but also to kickstart our economy and rebuild New York. These investments will lead to a sustainable and prosperous future for all New Yorkers.
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Jessica Ottney Mahar is New York Policy and Strategy Director at The Nature Conservancy. On Twitter @jessicaottney & @nature_ny.
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