INVESTING IN EDUCATION

Education has always been a top priority for the Senate Majority. Our goal is to ensure that New York schools have the resources they need to provide the highest quality education for our children.

Over the past several years my colleagues and I have fought for record increases in state school aid. Although state budgets became tighter, we continued to work for substantial aid increases that benefited all 705 of our school districts, as well as kept local property taxes under control.

Despite September 11, 2001, New York made its strongest statement ever on the importance of maintaining and strengthening a quality system of education. Faced with unbelievable tragedy and an unprecedented fiscal challenge, the State Legislature and Governor Pataki made it clear that nothing will deter New York State from its commitment to education. We will always find a way to provide equitable, fair and significant assistance to our public schools.

Providing schools with the funds they need is a big part of providing a quality education. The other part comes from having motivated students, supportive parents and excellent teachers. We are very fortunate to have all of them in abundance in New York. Working together we can ensure a bright future for our children and for our state.

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COMMITMENT TO EDUCATION
The Senate Majority's commitment to our outstanding educational system is unwavering. Since 1995, we led the fight to increase school aid by record amounts.

New York State has some of the strongest academic programs in the nation. The Senate Majority continues to work with Governor Pataki to provide the funds necessary to maintain our rigorous standards and graduation requirements. Our education aid packages also provide for improved school infrastructure, as well as the resources for the best textbooks, technology and teachers.

My colleagues and I in the Senate Majority have also focused on combating school violence and providing a school bus safety record that continues to be envied throughout the country. Our long-standing record reflects a commitment to teachers and administrators, as well as to our children, to provide the safest, most conducive learning environment possible.

YEAR-BY-YEAR: NY's Schools + Increased Aid = Better Performance
The Senate Majority has a long and proud tradition of supporting public education, consistently delivering funding increases for New York's schools. Education aid has increased 49% since 1995.

Increased state funding for local schools benefits communities in two ways: first, by helping to improve student performance; secondly, by keeping a lid on local property taxes, which also support local schools.

1997: The Senate makes history by enacting the STAR (School Property Tax Relief) program to dramatically reduce school taxes. School aid increases to a record level $10.8 billion.
1998: Funding rises to $11.7 billion.
1999: The Senate champions the reform of the state's special education system, ensuring that New York continues to receive $335 million in federal funds.
2000: Funding is provided to address the state's critical teacher shortages across the state. The Senate Majority's TEACH proposal and Gov. Pataki's Teachers of Tomorrow plan provide recruitment and retention incentives. Total state education aid increases to record high $13.7 billion.
2001: Senate Majority proposes TEACH-2, which provides pension incentives for experienced teachers to remain in their profession. Total education aid increases to $14.2 billion.
2002: Total annual state aid for elementary and secondary schools reaches a record level of $14.6 billion with the 2002-03 budget.

SUPPORTING PUBLIC SCHOOLS
State education aid has increased by $4.8 billion since 1995, an increase of 49 percent. In the 2002-03 state budget, the Senate Majority fought for a $413 million increase in state aid over the prior year. This school aid package totals more than $14.6 billion, the highest level in state history.

Highlights of the 2002-2003 education budget include:
* Comprehensive Operating Aid � increased by $59 million. Also, several aid formulas were combined to provide over $6.8 billion in flexible funding, which schools may use to support locally identified needs and priorities.
* Operating Standards Aid � increased by $75 million
* BOCES Aid � increased by $55 million
* Excess Cost Aid � increased by nearly $222 million, the first increase in two years. This aid helps school districts pay for special education programs for handicapped children.
* Teacher Support Aid � $67.4 million
* Mentor-Intern Program � increased by $1 million to $6 million
* Shanker Program � $1 million for national teacher certification grants
* Class Size Reduction Aid � $140 million
* Universal Pre-Kindergarten Programs � $204 million
* Full Day Kindergarten Programs � increased by $11 million
* Academic Support Services Aid � $25 million available to the Big Five city school districts to improve student performance


INVESTING IN HIGHER EDUCATION
The Senate Majority's commitment to education does not stop at the high school level. New York is a leader in providing quality higher education to anyone who seeks it, and we will continue our efforts to make these opportunities affordable for everyone.

College Bound � This landmark Senate Majority initiative to help New Yorkers meet the spiraling costs of higher education was enacted in 2000. College Bound includes the nation's first full state income tax deduction for college tuition, up to $10,000 in annual tuition costs per student. The tuition deduction is being phased in over a four-year period, and will be fully effective by the tax year 2004.

TAP (Tuition Assistance Program) � Under the Senate Majority's 2000 College Bound program, the maximum TAP award was increased for the first time in a decade, from $4,125 to $5,000. The income eligibility was also raised to $80,000, making TAP accessible once again to middle-income families. The largest state aid college program in the nation, TAP provides nearly $700 million for student higher educational expenses.

New York State College Savings Program � This Senate-inspired plan, in effect since 1998, allows parents, grandparents and others to invest up to $5,000 ($10,000 for married couples) annually into an approved tax-free savings plan. In addition, New York taxpayers can deduct their contributions from their NY taxable income. Effective since January 2002, account withdrawals are also exempt from both federal and NYS income taxes if used for higher education.

Scholarships for Academic Excellence Program � Since 1997, this state program has granted college scholarships to students who excel in their studies. These scholarships total $14 million, and provide $1,500 to the top graduating senior of each high school in the state, and $500 to other academically gifted students, for up to four years. Current funding supports 8,000 new annual awards and continues assistance for existing scholarship winners.

Supporting SUNY/CUNY � My Senate Majority colleagues and I have fought to prevent an increase in the undergraduate resident tuition rates at SUNY and CUNY. Thanks to our efforts, these tuition rates have remained at the current level for seven years in a row. Other measures for SUNY/CUNY in recent state budgets include:
* The SUNY/CUNY Capital Investment Program, implemented in 1998, has invested $3 billion over the past five years in campus construction projects.
* Childcare centers at SUNY/CUNY will receive an additional $1.9 million and $1.4 million, respectively in the 2002-03 budget.
* SUNY/ CUNY Community College Base Aid is increased to $2,300 per full-time student.

COLLEGE TUITION FOR 9-11 VICTIMS' FAMILIES
Providing a higher education for children is a big responsibility for any parent, but may be especially difficult for families of the 9-11 victims.

The Senate Majority strongly supported Governor Pataki's plan for free education at SUNY and CUNY, and up to a $12,000 annual scholarship at New York's private colleges for families of the victims. The "World Trade Center Memorial Scholarship" guarantees the opportunity of a college education to the families of those killed or seriously and permanently disabled in the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, whether they live in New York State or not.

It would also be available to the children and spouses of any innocent victim who perished in the September 11th terrorist attacks on the Pentagon and the crash of United Airlines Flight 93 in Pennsylvania.

COLLEGE TUITION FOR VOLUNTEER EMERGENCY PERSONNEL
On September 11th, New Yorkers witnessed the critical importance of having courageous well-trained firefighters and ambulanceworkers. The 2002-03 budget includes $2 million in funding for the Volunteer Recruitment Service Scholarship Program to boost the ranks of emergency personnel by offering free college tuition.

The award provides emergency services volunteers (over age 23) with tuition reimbursement of up to $3,400 per year if they have served more than six months and continue to be active in their fire or ambulance company while attending school.


SCHOOL BUS SAFETY
Parents deserve the peace of mind of knowing that their children will be safe from the moment they step onto the bus until they return home. The Senate Majority has consistently supported measures to improve school bus safety.

During the 2000 Session we created the Senate Majority School Bus Safety Task Force, and many of its recommendations have been enacted into law over the past three years. Our 2001 and 2002 School Bus Safety packages also contained common sense initiatives, now law, which:
* prohibited individuals whose license is suspended for a conviction of DWI or for driving under the influence of drugs from driving a school bus;
* increased fines for bus companies that don't comply with rules regarding bus driver qualifications;
* prohibited loitering on and unauthorized boarding of school buses;
* prohibited "standees" on school buses; and
* increased fines for overtaking and passing a school bus.


SCHOOL SAFETY LAWS
The Senate Majority recognizes that schools should be places of learning, not fear. In 2000, we made school violence a top legislative priority by enacting Project SAVE (Safe Schools Against Violence in Education Act). This historic school safety reform act included provisions for:
� school districts to establish local "codes of conduct";
�mandatory character education;
�formal school safety plans;
� expanded authority of teachers to remove disruptive students;
�a uniform violent incident reporting system; and
� increased penalties for weapon possession on school grounds.

The Senate Majority also helped enact legislation that conformed state law to the federal "No Child Left Behind Act of 2001," and protected over $1 billion in federal education funding. The state bill allows any student who attends a persistently dangerous public school (as determined by the Commissioner of Education) or who is a victim of a violent criminal offense that occurred on public school grounds to attend a safe public school within the school district.


Senate Majority efforts to prevent injury or death of a student due to accidents or to health conditions include the following legislation:

DEFIBRILLATORS IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Certain public schools must have at least one cardiac automated external defibrillator (AED) on school grounds and provide properly trained staff. These defibrillators are portable handheld devices about the size of a laptop computer. The use of an AED is highly successful when used within the first few minutes following sudden cardiac arrest. The American Heart Association believes that as many as 100,000 lives could be saved annually with the widespread use of defibrillators.

ELECTRICALLY OPERATED PARTITIONS AND ROOM DIVIDERS
Such devices in schools and educational institutions must be equipped with safety devices that will stop the partitions and dividersfrom moving if a body passes between its leading panel and a wall, or is present in the stacking area. School districts must equip all partitions and dividers with such safety devices by December 31, 2002.

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