Though "the most powerful Republican in the state of New York" was stuck in Buffalo, Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno made sure to call in to the RA to thank delegates for the job they do, and deliver good news about the recently passed state budget.

"Thank you very much for all the good things you do on behalf of all of the young people and all of the people in New York state," Bruno said. "The state budget is truly a victory for every student, parent, teacher and administrator."

NYSUT Executive Vice President Alan Lubin praised Bruno's leadership and support for public education. "This week he hammered out a budget deal that kept the promise made to our K-12 schools last year," Lubin said. "With Joe's leadership, we won a record $1.8 billion increase in aid to our schools."

That was aid Bruno said should go where it's most needed — the classroom. "I'm really pleased we added a $352 million increase over the governor's budget. At the end of the day, it doesn't matter how much we spend but how we spend it," Bruno said. "We need to look no further than the classroom. The budget makes a critical investment in education."

Bruno also reiterated his support for teacher tenure. "It's not practical

to use student test scores as the sole criterion. We came to a good compromise."