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AQE: Education Budget Good for Students

aqeny.org

The new state budget about to be passed by lawmakers is better news for education in New York.
That's according to the executive director of the pro-public education organization Alliance for Quality Education. Billy Easton says while the devastating cuts of the past four years won't be restored, this plan should enable most school districts to avoid making further cuts.

But he adds there's still an opportunity gap between rich and poor schools, and it continues to grow.
That was at the heart of a lawsuit from AQE and the Campaign for Fiscal Equity.

After a court ruling Easton says in 2007 the state finally invested in closing that gap.
But he says the gains made in the two years after the ruling have been swept away in the past four years, because of cuts to education.

Easton adds a lot of parents, students and community members have raised their voices with their elected officials, and people in Albany are starting to listen.