2026 Joint Legislative Budget Hearing - Elementary Education/Secondary Education
January 29, 2026
9:30AM
Hearing Room B, Legislative Office Building, Albany
Transcript Pending
Testimony
Commissioner
New York State Education Department
Kamar Samuels (Testimony Pending)
Chancellor
New York City Department of Education
President
United Federation of Teachers
Melinda Person (Testimony Pending)
President
New York State United Teachers
President
Council of School Supervisors and Administrators
Director, Government Relations
School Administrators Association of NYS
Executive Director
Conference of Big 5 School Districts
Superintendent
Buffalo Public Schools
Superintendent
Rochester City School District
Superintendent
Syracuse City School District
Superintendent
Yonkers Public Schools
Superintendent
City school District of Albany
Superintendent
Mount Vernon City School District
Superintendent
Utica City School District
Chief Advocacy Officer
NYS School Boards Association
Executive Director
Association of School Business Officials of NY
Kyle Belokopitsky (Testimony Pending)
Executive Director
NYS Parent Teacher Association
Executive Director
Rural Schools Association of New York
Legislative Liaison
BOCES of New York State
Policy Analyst
NYS Community Schools Network
Lasana Tunica-El (Testimony Pending)
Sr. Deputy Director of Campaigns
Educators for Excellence – New York
Antony McLetchie (Testimony Pending)
Co-Chair
4201 Schools Association
President
New York State Coalition of 853 Schools
Policy Director
Advocates for Children of New York
Stephen Beovich (Testimony Pending)
President
NYS Coalition of Special Act School
Lindsay Miller (Testimony Pending)
Executive Director
NY Association on Independent Living
Gully Stanford (Testimony Pending)
Policy Co-Chair
NYS Alliance for Arts Education
Director Government Relations and Advocacy
New York Library Association
Paul Quinn Mori (Testimony Pending)
President
New York School Bus Contractors Association
Marion Waldman (Testimony Pending)
Executive Director
Teach My Kid to Read
Anthony Hayes (Testimony Pending)
CEO of WMHT
Association of Public Broadcasting Stations of NY
Nan Eileen Mead (Testimony Pending)
Co-Executive Director
Democracy Ready NY
Robert Breidenstein (Testimony Pending)
Executive Director
NYS Association of Small City School Districts
Sydney Altfield (Testimony Pending)
Executive Director
Teach NYS
Rabbi Yeruchim Silber (Testimony Pending)
Director of New York Governmental Relations
Agudath Israel of America
James Merriman (Testimony Pending)
Chief Executive Officer
NYC Charter School Center
James Cultrara (Testimony Pending)
Executive Secretary
NYS council of Catholic School Superintendents
Chief Operating Officer
NYS Association of charter Schools
Marina Marcou – O’Malley (Testimony Pending)
Interim Co - Executive Director
Alliance for Quality Education
Executive Director
The Education Trust – New York
Director of Policy and Advocacy
Coalition for Equitable Education Funding
Adina Mermelstein Konikoff (Testimony Pending)
Executive Director
YAFFED
Gregory Lyakhov (Testimony Pending)
Student/Columnist
Youth Vote USA