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Assembly releases details of budget plan

Mar 10, 2015 6:03 am
Matthew Hamilton is reporting in the Times Union the state Assembly's Democratic majority wants a $1.8 billion increase in school aid in the coming fiscal year. That represents $830 million more than the high end of Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo's proposed aid increase. The chamber released details of its one-house budget proposal Mon., Mar. 9, including almost $24 billion in total school aid. The Assembly proposal rejects Cuomo's proposal to tie tougher teacher evaluations and a plan that would allow "failing" schools to be taken over by outside entities to a larger school aid increase. Also left out of the Assembly's proposal is the education investment tax credit, a change in the tax code that would incentivize donations to groups that support education. The Assembly's budget also included $27 million to make higher education aid available to the children of undocumented immigrants. Read the full story in the Times Union.