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ALBANY---While funding for health care has been cut by Gov. George E. Pataki, the enacted State Budget includes $11.2 billion to support school construction in New York City. The $11.2 billion consists of $1.8 billion in school construction aid and a $9.4 billion authorization for New York City Transitional Finance Authority to issue bonds for the modernization and expansion of school building infrastructure. The $9.4 billion in State authorized bonds will be evenly funded by the City and the State.
New Yorkers already spend more than $14,000 per pupil to support public education, virtually the highest amount in the nation.
This new $1.8 billion in direct school construction aid, coupled with existing State school building aid to New York City, brings total 2006-2007 State construction aid to $2.3 billion.
"I thank Mayor Michael Bloomberg for identifying school construction funding as the City's key priority and for working diligently with the Legislature and my Administration to develop an appropriate financing plan that recognizes the needs of the parents and schoolchildren of New York City as well as the fiscal challenges faced by the State," the Governor said.
The new $1.8 billion school construction aid for New York City is part of a $2.6 billion statewide Expanding our Children's Education and Learning (EXCEL) package proposed by the Legislature and approved by the Governor as part of this year's enacted State Budget. EXCEL will dramatically increase the State's already generous efforts to support local school construction costs throughout the State. This new EXCEL aid is provided to the City in addition to the $498 million in annual building aid it currently receives.
Since Governor Pataki took office, major new investments have been made in school facilities across New York State. Since 1994, funding for school facilities had already tripled, growing from $536 million to $1.62 billion. The additional $2.6 billion in statewide EXCEL funding approved by the Governor will bring the statewide school construction aid total to $4.2 billion, a 7-fold increase during the last 12 years.
Since the Governor has been in office, state aid to New York City schools has grown by more than $3.4 billion, or nearly 105%, and now totals roughly $6.7 billion. The enacted Budget includes over $17 billion in total annual State spending on education, a 79% increase since the Governor took office. 4-24-06
© 2006 North
Country Gazette
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