More than 50 years ago the New York State Lottery was approved by the public as a means to help pay for schools. Back then the slogan was actually, "Your Chance of a Lifetime to Help Education,” compared to today’s slogan, "A Dollar and a Dream.” However, lottery money makes up a mere 14 percent of total state aid to school districts. According a 2017-18 report that can be found at https://www.nylottery.org/information/education-aid, only about one third of traditional play lottery money actually went towards education in New York State. Revenue totaled about $8 billion, while “education aid” was only about $2.4 billion.

Assemblyman Angelo Santabarbara has introduced a new bill in the State Assembly titled the “Emergency School Relief Act of 2020” that would increase the amount of “education aid” from the New York State Lottery by 30% and immediately divert those funds to school districts as ”Emergency COVID Relief Aid”. “The additional funds would help get schools the funding they need to safely re-open,” said Assemblyman Angelo Santabarbara. “Among other funding needs, school districts are in desperate need of funding to implement effective testing for COVID-19 and meet recommended health and safety guidelines to safeguard the health and well-being of students, teachers and staff.”

The 2020 state budget remained flat on education, but with the Governor’s 20% funding cut proposal schools stand to lose billions. This change could potentially raise $2.4 billion in additional revenue for education across the state at a time when it’s needed the most. For schools like Schenectady it could potentially add $18 million to their budget. Find a FULL LIST of how much Lottery money actually went to schools across the state here: https://b5.caspio.com/dp.asp?AppKey=3908300045dda204300f4908b8af

“We’ve all had to make enormous sacrifices during COVID-19, but when it comes to public education, our kids have already lost too much,” said Assemblyman Santabarbara. “The Governor absolutely does not have my support on the devastating cuts he’s proposing that will do nothing more that devastate public education. This is a time to look for solutions, not create more problems. It’s crucial that we all work together to support public education needs during these critical times. Students and teachers need to know that we always have their backs, even under these difficult circumstances.”