BP Adams Applauds New City Investment In Fair Student Funding
Brooklyn Borough President Eric L. Adams applauded Mayor Bill de Blasio and NYC Council Speaker Corey Johnson’s announcement yesterday pledging an additional annual investment of $125 million in “Fair Student Funding” (FSF) for New York City public schools, starting in the 2018-19 school year.
FSF provides the majority of most individual schools’ budgets, and is used at the principal’s discretion, mostly to hire teachers and staff, as well as to purchase materials and educational resources and support student and family activities.
The historic increase in FSF will support the Mayor’s Equity and Excellence for All agenda and his promise to make New York City the fairest big city in America, so that, by 2026, 80 percent of students graduate high school on time, and two-thirds of graduates are college-ready.
“Our public school families have been underfunded and underappreciated by Albany politicians who refuse to make them whole, denying them the Campaign for Fiscal Equity settlement funding that has been legally mandated,” said Adams.
“Amid this injustice, I have urged the City to fill the void, in particular to address the inequities facing some of our borough’s larger campuses like Abraham Lincoln High School, Brooklyn Technical High School, Fort Hamilton High School, and James Madison High School. This new $125 million infusion will provide the financial support that so many of our teachers and administrators have needed to advance a first-class educational environment for our children. The fight continues for 100 percent fully-funded public schools in every corner of our city,” added Adams.
Malliotakis To Honor Presidents’ Day Essay Contest Winners
Assembly member Nicole Malliotakis (R,C,I-Brooklyn/Staten Island) will honor and celebrate the winner of her elementary school Presidents’ Day Essay Contest today.
In late February the Assemblywoman asked local 3rd, 4th and 5th graders to write about what they would do to improve their community if they were president.
Malliotakis’ office received hundreds of submissions from students all over South Brooklyn and Staten Island, earning each child a certificate of merit from the State Assembly and a letter of recognition from the Assemblywoman herself.
Six Brooklyn elementary school students were chosen from Brooklyn for their superb ideas presented in their essays.
Jeffries Bill Protecting Wildlife Refuges Get Trump Approval
Congressman Hakeem Jeffries (D-central Brooklyn, Coney Island, Western Queens), a member of the House Democratic leadership and the Judiciary Committee, announced the passage into law of the Keep Refugees Operational Act (KARO), H.R. 3979, yesterday.
The bill will help protect United States wildlife by reauthorizing the National Wildlife Refuge System- volunteer, community partnership and education programs that help ensure Americans can visit, explore, fish, hunt and study wildlife for generations to come.
Jeffries represents Gateway National Park in Brooklyn and Queens, the largest urban national park in the country. In that regard, he is proud to have championed legislation backed by environmental advocates, conservationists and the recreational fishing community.
America’s 561 National Wildlife Refuges are located in all 50 states, including 10 in the state of New York. They make up 850 million acres of pristine public lands and waters dedicated to the conservation of fish and wildlife. Wildlife refuge volunteers are individuals who want to give back to their communities, parents who want to be good stewards of the land and set examples for their children, retired people willing to share their wealth of knowledge, concerned citizens of all ages who want to learn more about conservation and passionate people who enjoy the outdoors and want to spread the word about America’s greatest natural treasures. Volunteers and groups make up 20% of the total service work product, or the equivalent of 649 full-time employees.
“We must remain vigilant in protecting the breathtaking wildlife and beautiful environment God has given America. Each year, 47 million Americans visit wildlife refuges, generating almost $2 billion in local economic activity. This bill will keep our refuges operational by undergirding the volunteers that dedicate thousands of hours to make sure we can all experience the vast natural beauty our great nation has to offer,” said Jeffries.
Mosley Introduces Bill to Fight Income Discrimination
Assembly member T. Walter Mosley (D-Fort Greene, Clinton Hill, Prospect Heights, Crown Heights) introduced a bill to fight income discrimination in New York State yesterday.
The measure, A. 10077, would prevent landlords across the state from discriminating against tenants based on their source of income. The legislation amends the definition of “source of income” to include wages from lawful employment, child support, alimony, foster care subsidies, income derived from social security or any federal, state or local public assistance and any other forms of lawful income.
Mosley is hoping to decrease rental bias and the continued feminization of poverty, which disproportionately affects female-headed households, which comprise more than one-third of households receiving rental vouchers in New York.
“Too often in our state, people are unable to find a place to live because landlords refuse to rent to them if they receive rental subsidies, public assistance, child support, or have other means of paying the rent. It is hard enough to find affordable housing in New York, landlords should not be making it more challenging by refusing to rent to people based on their own prejudices,” said Mosley.
“Our state provides vouchers and assistance to these families and for landlords to turn them away is unconscionable and irresponsible. This bill will stop that discrimination and help thousands of people across the state,” added Mosley.
Menchaca Lauds Judges’ Ruling Against Ending DACA
City Council member Carlos Menchaca (D-Sunset Park, Red Hook), Chair of the Committee on Immigration, applauded U.S. District Court Judge John D. Bates’ ruling yesterday ordering the Trump Administration to continue the Obama-era program protecting DREAMers.
On Tuesday, Bates ordered that the government begin accepting new applications for the program but not immediately. According to USA Today, the federal judge from Washington D.C., said the administration’s decision to rescind Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) was “arbitrary and capricious” because the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) failed to adequately explain its “conclusion that the program was unlawful.” The court stayed its order, giving the government 90 days to explain its decision to end the program. After that, Bates said, DHS must accept and process new and renewal applications.
Last year, Trump ordered the end of the five-year-old executive action protecting young undocumented immigrants from deportation including from taking future applications. The president declared a March 25, 2018 deadline of which Congress attempted to find a replacement earlier this year, attempting to cut a deal with Trump for a pathway to citizenship for the 800,000 DACA recipients for border security. New York City currently has 30,000 residents protected under the executive action.
“President Trump’s inhumane attempt to end DACA is an offense to the majority of Americans who value Dreamers’ immense contributions to our nation. I welcome all the court decisions that have upheld Dreamers’ human rights and protected the DACA program. Dreamers, brought to this country as children, have established careers and families, demonstrate high levels of academic achievement and are held to a strict standards of conduct as they maintain their residence here,” said Menchaca.
“About 800,000 people are enrolled in DACA, but many more are eligible and must be given a fair chance to apply. Though the most recent decision by the U.S. District Judge in Washington, DC is correct and just, our nation needs a legislative solution that protects all Dreamers permanently,“ added Menchaca.
Golden Announces More R Trains Stations To Receive Elevators
State Senator Marty Golden (R-Bay Ridge, Dyker Heights, Bensonhurst, Marine Park, Gerritsen Beach, Gravesend, Manhattan Beach) announced yesterday that two more local R Train stations have been approved for elevators to improve accessibility.
The new elevators are part of the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) Board’s approved capital amendment that will enhance accessibility at a number of New York City train stations, including at the 95th Street station along the R Line, and the 59th Street station along the R and N Lines.
The amendment also includes funding of more than $300 million in signal and track work critical to enhancing service reliability as part of the Subway Action Plan, originally approved by the MTA Board in December 2017. The funding will be used for signal repair and modernization work, and the installation of continuous welded rail which is more reliable, and less prone to causing delays, than the traditional rail.
“In our community, with the many young families with strollers and carriages, and with the many seniors and disabled residents, there is a great need and urgency to make our stations ADA compliant. Through this latest round of negotiations and approvals, we will make traveling by train easier for some, and accessible for those who have been shutout in the past,” said Golden.
“Access and improved reliability of train service will go a long way in improving the commute and travel time of many of my constituents. I am proud to have played a major role in this process and look forward to accomplishing even more to get our system running more efficiently,” added Golden.
