ALBANY – State Assemblyman Jonathan Jacobson (D, Newburgh) is going head-to-head with fellow Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul over her proposed state budget proposal cuts in school aid and environmental protection.
“These cuts will not stand!” he said on Wednesday.
He said the cuts are primarily due to the governor’s changes in aid calculation, as well as her proposed elimination of the “save harmless” provision, which ensures that no school district receives less Foundation Aid than it did in the previous year. Foundation Aid represents the largest share of education funding that school districts receive from the state.
Jacobson also said Hochul’s budget lacks a commitment to the environment. He said while the state has provided $500 million each year since 2019 for water infrastructure, her budget would cut that in half.
“This is the first step in the budget dance in Albany,” he said. “The Assembly and Senate majorities will produce their own budgets, and then begin negotiations with the governor. I am confident that these cuts will be restored.”
