WASHINGTON — Reps. Jamaal Bowman, Adriano Espaillat, and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Thursday sent a letter to Gov. Andrew Cuomo calling on him to commit to protecting education funding from any additional budget cuts as the state recovers from the pandemic and economic crisis.

Citing the austerity measures adopted in wake of the 2008 financial crash, the group of representatives urged the governor not to repeat the mistakes of the past. After the Great Recession, crippling budget cuts hamstrung social services throughout the state in the hopes of balancing the budget. Despite the fact that New York’s economy grew steadily following the recession, state funding for human services aid to local governments fell by 26 percent. In the letter, the members encouraged the governor to ensure this misguided disinvestment does not happen again in wake of the coronavirus pandemic. 

“In a crisis, every part of the government’s budget becomes even more precious as those resources typically go towards serving those most in need,” the members wrote in the letter. “However, with children having spent most of the last year oscillating between in-person and remote learning, education has once again demonstrated the vital role it plays in our communities. With new variants of the virus continuing to emerge and federal assistance on the way, we know that the last days of the pandemic will hold many difficult choices. As such, we urge you to protect education funding from any further budget cuts as a result of the pandemic.”

New York State also stands to benefit significantly from the American Rescue Plan. Current estimates suggest the plan will allocate more than $23 billion in federal aid to the state, as well as nearly $9 billion in additional funding specifically for education.

“In recent months, you have made clear that New York would need at least $15 billion to avoid the type of devastating budget cuts we all fear. With an aid package that far exceeds this number, we now hope that you will uphold your side of the bargain and protect vital human services like education during future budget negotiations,” the members wrote.

Click here to read the full text of the letter.

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