| We are pleased to report that Governor Cuomo proposed in the Capital Projects budget a new $20 million safety and security grants program to nonpublic schools and day camps at risk of hate crimes. Today, the NY State Legislature passed this bill and security program into law.
Teach NYS has spent the last two months advocating for the creation of this program and its passage. The matching grant program will be available on a competitive basis. As always, our staff is available to help your institution navigate this and other available security grant programs.
This funding comes in addition to the $40 million for security programs approved in the Fiscal Year 2020 budget in April - $25 million for the Securing Communities Against Hate competitive grant program for schools, summer camps, cultural museums, and daycare centers; and $15 million for security aid to all nonpublic schools.
This brings the total state security funding for our institutions to $60 million this year. This is the most New York State has ever spent on security in a single year.
We should all be tremendously grateful to Governor Cuomo and our legislators in the Senate and Assembly. They have heard our calls for more security funding and responded with new funding for our safety and security. Governor Cuomo in particular has consistently championed this issue for years.
We are personally grateful to all of you whose advocacy efforts ensure that our voices continue to be heard by our representatives in Albany. When Teach NYS first formed in 2013, there was zero state security dollars for our schools. A little over six years later - years where Teach NYS organized lobbying missions to Albany and Jewish community members advocated and called and sent letters and emails - together we have secured $60 million in necessary security funding.
We look forward to continuing to raise our voices and engage with our elected officials on this and other important issues.
Maury Litwack
Executive Director
Teach NYS |
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