ALBANY, N.Y. Jan. 5, 2022 — New York State United Teachers President Andy Pallotta issued the following statement today regarding Gov. Kathy Hochul’s State of the State address:
“Gov. Hochul has brought a breath of fresh air to Albany. Her agenda sets ambitious goals for addressing the issues our state faces.
“The promise to fully fund Foundation Aid is a momentous first step toward supporting our public schools as the center of every community. Pledges to boost mental health supports and staffing levels mark a clear commitment to meeting the social-emotional needs of students. The governor also is heeding the pre-pandemic calls of educators to address staffing shortages in schools statewide and to diversify the education workforce by finding innovative ways to get more New Yorkers to take a look at teaching as a career. We will continue working with her administration to bring to life our Future Forward agenda for public schools this year.
“It is positive to see Gov. Hochul prioritize higher education and health care and propose ways to address the financial barriers that stand in the way of more New Yorkers obtaining a post-secondary education. We look forward to digging further into the details of her agenda for SUNY and CUNY.
“We await the governor’s budget proposal later this month, and we’ll continue advocating throughout the legislative session on behalf of our members in education, human services and health care who day in and day out selflessly dedicate themselves to the New Yorkers they serve.”
RESOURCES
More information on NYSUT’s Future Forward agenda can be found here: www.futureforwardny.org.
More information on NYSUT’s Take a Look at Teaching initiative to address the teacher shortage can be found here: www.takealookatteaching.org.
See also: "Governor Hochul Announces New Investment in New York's Students, Teachers and Schools." NY.gov.
New York State United Teachers is a statewide union with more than 600,000 members in education, human services and health care. NYSUT is affiliated with the American Federation of Teachers, the National Education Association and the AFL-CIO.