State Assemblyman Fred W. Thiele, Jr. (I, D, WF – Sag Harbor) announced the Assembly passed a 2014-15 state budget proposal that provides $16.3 billion – $1.5 billion more than the governor’s proposal – for SUNY and CUNY, an increase in aid for the third consecutive year. The Assembly’s plan also provides an additional $75 million to help New York’s students access an affordable college education. The plan ramps up funding for the Tuition Assistance Program (TAP), and includes funding for the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act to help undocumented students achieve a higher education (E.914).

“The key to securing a good job and a fulfilling career often starts by receiving a quality, affordable college education. Unfortunately, the rising cost of higher education is putting a college degree out of reach for far too many New Yorkers,” Assemblyman Thiele said. “The Assembly’s budget proposal would help hardworking families afford college by investing in New York’s higher education system and expanding financial aid programs for students.”

Investing in TAP, other college opportunity programs

To help students afford rising college costs, the Assembly proposes a $47 million increase to TAP, increasing the maximum possible award by $300, bringing the total award to $5,300 per full-time equivalent (FTE) student. The Assembly also addresses an inequity in TAP that treats foster care children or wards of the state as independents rather than dependents, causing their TAP awards to be calculated at a lower rate. To remedy this, the Assembly provides $2.65 million to allow TAP awards for these students to be calculated at the higher rate that dependent students receive. The Assembly also increases base aid to SUNY community colleges by $50 per FTE student, bringing the total to $2,472 per FTE student, the third increase in a row.

Additionally, the Assembly budget restores funding and provides a 3 percent increase over last year – a total increase of $4.2 million – for the following college opportunity programs:

• Educational Opportunity Program (EOP): $22.3 million, an increase of $1.2 million;
• Search for Education, Elevation, and Knowledge program (SEEK): $19.5 million, an increase of $1.1 million;
• Higher Education Opportunity Program (HEOP): $25.7 million, an increase of $749,900;
• Liberty Partnerships: $13.3 million, an increase of $387,500;
• Science and Technology Entry Program (STEP): $11.4 million, an increase of $333,000;
• Collegiate Science and Technology Entry Program (CSTEP): $8.6 million, an increases of $252,900; and
• College Discovery Program: $937,000, an increase of $53,800.

Making the DREAM Act a reality

The Assembly’s budget proposal includes $25 million to fund the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act. This would allow children of immigrants, for the first time ever, the opportunity to apply for a variety of state tuition-assistance programs to help them realize the goal of a college education.

“We invest in their education through high school – why should we stop there? It’s only fair for these students to have the same opportunities as their classmates,” Thiele said.

Bolstering New York’s higher education system

“This year’s Assembly budget proposal shows our commitment to ensuring SUNY continue providing a top-notch education at an affordable price,” Thiele said. “With tuition soaring nationwide, many students depend on New York’s excellent public schools to avoid taking on crippling student loan debt.”

The Assembly’s budget proposal also:

• provides $89.8 million for SUNY health science centers, restoring $20.5 million, to help support our world-class teaching hospitals and adds the SUNY health science centers to the state’s maintenance of effort requirement;
• restores $1 million for SUNY ATTAIN computer labs to increase access to technology for those in economically challenged areas; and
• expands the governor’s proposed Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) scholarship program to include nursing students and students studying to become high school math or science teachers.

“In this tough job market, there are jobs available for nurses and math and science teachers, but a shortage of qualified workers to fill these positions. The STEM program would encourage our talented young people to enter these in-demand fields,” Assemblyman Thiele said.

Investing in our learning environments

“We cannot provide a quality college education without investing in the buildings and classrooms where students learn,” Thiele said. “The Assembly’s proposal makes a strong commitment to maintaining and improving educational facilities.”

In 2012, the state completed a five-year plan that invested in building and maintaining our educational infrastructure. However, since then, funding for maintenance and new building initiatives has dropped dramatically. The Assembly budget proposal remedies this by increasing capital funding by $1.4 billion in order to allow campuses to plan for the future.

The Assembly’s capital plan will:

• provide critical funding for community college projects with local support, $22 million for SUNY;
• recognize changing needs by investing in strategic initiatives, providing $648 million for SUNY state-supported colleges; and
• authorize $600 million for SUNY hospitals to continue facility maintenance.

Supporting SUNY child care centers

The Assembly budget proposal provides $1.7 million to SUNY child care centers, a restoration of $653,000. The child care centers serve to aid students, faculty, staff and the community with a quality, affordable child care option, Thiele noted.