My Culture My Lens: 2023

Thursday, December 28, 2023

A vision for education justice in the year ahead

Hi Ashley,

Before we close out the year, we wanted to take a moment to reflect on all that we accomplished together over the past twelve months.

This was the first time that every public school began its academic year with 100% of its Foundation Aid funding—and $2.7 billion in new funding for this year alone. And that's not all for 2023. AQE won crucial victories including $500 million in new state funding for child care workers, $150 million to expand pre-K, and millions in restored funding for community schools, undocumented children, and high-needs students in New York City. These changes could not have happened without you.

Your contribution to AQE today will help us carry the fight for education justice into the year ahead.

As we look ahead to 2024, we know there is still more to be done. Child care educators need to be paid a thriving wage. Parents still need access to free and quality childcare. The decades-old Foundation Aid formula must be updated to reflect the needs of today's students. And the expiration of federal pandemic relief continues to threaten the essential programs created to support our kids in the wake of COVID-19. The federal aid might be ending, but students' needs — both from before the pandemic, and from the continuous impact of the years of educational disruption that it caused — are here to stay. The pandemic has irrevocably changed the lives of a generation of children and altered the way all of us teach, learn and live.

AQE needs to continue fighting to ensure schools have the resources to meet this once in a lifetime challenge, led by the same vision for equity, justice and freedom that has grounded our work for the past two decades. We will continue empowering new parent and community leaders, through our Ed Warriors and Early Ed Warriors leadership development programs. We will continue building power in communities statewide. We will continue to push our elected leaders toward the public education and child care system New York's children and families need and deserve.

Make a donation today to help us realize this vision for our children into 2024 and beyond.

In solidarity,

Marina
Marcou-O'Malley

Zakiyah
Shaakir-Ansari

DONATE

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Wednesday, December 27, 2023

Gov. Hochul must prioritize NY's children, families & future in 2024

Hi Ashley,

With the new year around the corner, Governor Hochul is preparing to announce her budget proposal in January. We stand at a critical juncture where our collective action can shape New York's budget and legislation over the coming year and beyond, and our voices must be heard. Email Governor Hochul now telling her that New York's students and families must be her top priority in her 2024-5 budget proposal.

The executive budget is more than a speech or a document — it is a blueprint of the Governor's priorities, a signaling of who and what she values, and the starting point for negotiations that will define how New Yorkers are served by their government. What the Governor proposes in her budget will deeply impact our students, families, and communities. It will chart the course for the year ahead. Let's raise our voices to steer Governor Hochul toward a more equitable and prosperous future.

Our collective fight over the years resulted in schools starting the year with 100 percent of their Foundation Aid for the first time ever. This year we face new challenges. Federal school aid is ending, but the impacts that the pandemic had on students are here to stay. We need to ensure schools have the resources they need to meet our current reality.

Our 2024 budget priorities underscore our commitment to building a more equitable New York:

Update the Foundation Aid Formula: A new study that will update the Foundation Aid formula to ensure equitable distribution of resources across the state. We support the Board of Regents request of $1 million to conduct the study. We also support their recommendations of short term revisions to the formula that would help the students that need it the most.
Fund Student Needs, Prevent Cuts: We must avoid funding gaps created by the expiration of relief funding in our school districts, protecting essential programs and staff.
Advance Universal Childcare: Establishing a permanent, well-funded program for equitable access to child care.
Invest in Full Day Pre-K: Ensuring quality programs and equitable distribution to all community-based organizations.
Tax the Ultra Rich, Invest in Our New York: Raising revenue to invest in education, childcare, and essential services.
A Positive School Climate: Ending the school-to-prison pipeline and fostering trust through community schools and culturally responsive education.

Many of our representatives in the state legislature share our values and are pushing to keep the state on the right track. The Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic and Asian Legislative Caucus is advocating for a just and equitable state budget that invests in education, healthcare, and economic justice. With initiatives like the Universal Child Care Act, a more equitable formula for K-12 public schools, the expansion of pre-K, and fair taxation for the ultra wealthy, the Caucus is calling for a more hopeful future for our state. Let Governor Hochul know that we expect her proposed budget to follow suit.

Email Governor Hochul now, urging her to prioritize our families and children in her 2024 budget proposal this January. Together, let's shape a New York that champions equity and opportunities for everyone.

In solidarity,

Zakiyah
Shaakir-Ansari

Marina
Marcou-O'Malley

DONATE

Sent via ActionNetwork.org. To update your email address, change your name or address, or to stop receiving emails from Alliance for Quality Education, please click here.