NY State Budget Preserves Private School Funding

Jewish parents and educators can breathe easy: the New York State’s executive budget for 2021-2022, as outlined by Governor Andrew Cuomo, spares private schools and parochial schools from deep budget cuts.

Mr. Shlomo Werdiger, chairman of Agudath Israel’s Board of Trustees, thanked Cuomo, saying, “We are extremely thankful to Governor Cuomo for not overlooking the needs of the non-public school community despite the large deficits incurred due to the Covid-19 pandemic.”

The federal government’s Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act (CRRSA) earmarked $248 million for non-public school needs, enabling state’s to maintain funding parity for public and private schools.

Mandated Services (MSA) and Comprehensive Attendance Policy (CAP) were funded at $189 million, and STEM reimbursement were at $29.4 million

Academic Intervention for Nonpublic Schools (AIS) was funded at $904 thousand, and Nonpublic School Safety and Equipment (NPSE) stayed at $15 million in funding.

“We were particularly pleased that our schools – who work so hard in educating their students – were held harmless for school closure and that other allocations were kept close to previous years. We will continue to work with our friends in the legislature and the executive office to hold the line on any further reductions and should additional federal funds or other revenue sources become available, to pass on accordingly,” said Rabbi Yeruchim Silber, Agudath’s director of New York Government Relations.