The failure to fund Foundation Aid is directly failing these students, DiBrango said.
“These staffing cuts and the lack of funding can change a child’s life,” she said.
As the state budget takes shape, NYSUT’s bus tour is visiting school districts around the state that, like Elmira and Schenevus have been underfunded by the state.
As a member of the state Educational Conference Board, NYSUT calls for a $2.1 billion increase in state aid in the 2020–21 state budget, which includes the first installment of a three-year phase-in of the more than $3.4 billion in Foundation Aid owed to more than 400 school districts.
The union supports new taxes on billionaires and ultramillionaires to generate the revenue needed to fully fund Foundation Aid and other state services.