Last Tuesday was the second installment in Agudah’s three-part advocacy mission to Albany. This week’s mission consisted of delegates from Queens and Long Island who traveled to meet with their legislators and discuss issues facing their communities.
A key priority was preserving the reimbursement for Mandated Services Aid (MSA), the largest source of nonpublic school funding in New York, which reimburses nonpublic schools for services mandated by the state. During the past two budget cycles, Mandated Services Aid has been underfunded by approximately $20 million, leaving schools unreimbursed for mandated services that the state is legally obligated to cover. At the same time, delegates asked legislators to consider securing an increase in funding for nonpublic school record-keeping of student immunization data, which was previously funded at just $1.5 million, far below the estimated $11.5 million required statewide.
Another important priority was the protection of due process rights for students with special needs to ensure they do not lose vital services because they attend a nonpublic school. To that end, legislators were asked to support important legislation proposed by Assemblymember Robert Carroll and Senator Jessica Scarcell-Spanton, which would enshrine this right into law.
The delegation also addressed the troubling rise in anti-Semitism. Just last month in Kew Gardens Hills, protestors gathered outside a shul and Jewish school, chanting anti-Semitic slogans including “We support Hamas” and “Intifada revolution.” Delegates thanked lawmakers who publicly condemned the protest and urged support for three proposals aimed at strengthening protections for the Jewish community:
- Shul Security Advocates urged legislators to support S.8599/A.9335, legislation establishing a buffer zone in front of houses of worship to ensure safe and unobstructed access. The enactment of this legislation would ensure that individuals can enter houses of worship without violence or intimidation.
- School Security Support for the proposal from Governor Hochul to fund the Nonpublic School Safety Equipment Grant (NPSE) program, which reimburses nonpublic schools in New York State for certain safety and security equipment and services at $90 million in the Executive budget.
- Defining Anti-Semitism Support of the HOPE Act, introduced by Assemblyman Sam Berger of Queens, which provides that all New York agencies, departments, and subdivisions shall take into consideration the broader IHRA definition of anti-Semitism when evaluating if an act was so motivated. In addition, it mandates that statewide anti-bias trainings use this definition.
The delegation met with Assemblymembers Stacey Pheffer Amato (D-23), Sam Berger (D-27), Ari Brown (R-20), Andrew Hevesi (D-28), Nily Rozic (D-25), Steve Stern (D-10), and Senators Joseph Addabbo (D-15), Patricia Canzoneri-Fitzpatrick (R-9), Leroy Comrie (D-14), Jack Martins (R-7), James Sanders (D-10), and staff of Assemblymembers Judy Griffin (D-21), Alicia Hyndman (D-29), Daniel Norber (R-16), Michaelle Solages (D-22), and State Senators John Liu (D-16) and Toby Ann Stavisky (D-11).