BUFFALO, N.Y. — Gov. Kathy Hochul’s budget includes big initiatives in education with $34.5 billion headed toward schools for the 2024 academic year.
This investment marks the highest level of state aid ever in education.
The governor stressed the importance of this affecting students of all ages.
“All New Yorkers deserve access to a high-quality education, from prekindergarten through their college graduation,” Governor Hochul said in a statement Wednesday.
Funds from this budget are going toward student experiences starting when they enter the system with $150 million allocated for pre-kindergarten. The funds will effectively grant 95% of the state access to universal Pre-K.
The budget also contains what the governor called a complete transformation of the State University of New York (SUNY) and City University of New York (CUNY) systems — with $2.4 billion in funding for capital projects, a $500 million state matching fund for SUNY endowments, and $138 million to help community colleges combat enrollment declines.
“This unprecedented level of transformational investments will open new doors for more students to build a brighter future for themselves and gain the skills needed for the jobs of the future,” Hochul said.
The budget also addresses a need here in Western New York with 1 in 5 children experiencing food insecurity — putting $134 million of state funds towards providing all students in qualifying low-income schools with free breakfast and lunch.
It also includes a $2.6 billion increase in foundation aid from last year, putting 13% more aid toward students with the greatest need.
2 On Your Side contacted Buffalo Public Schools and Niagara Falls City School District to get their perspectives on how this budget would affect their students, but they were not immediately available for comment.