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Today, Congressman Mondaire Jones (D-NY) released the following statement on the New York State legislature’s agreement to fully fund Foundation Aid. (Editor’s Note: In his news conference today on the State Budget, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced the foundation aid to school districts is funded for the next two years, providing the SALT Reduction Act is repealed by the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives).

“This is a monumental moment in the fight for education equity in New York State.

After nearly a decade, New York is finally making good on its court-mandated obligation to provide full funding under the Foundation Aid formula to ensure that every child in New York State receives the sound, basic education to which they are entitled under the state constitution. Complete funding will be transformative for the Harmed Suburban Five school districts, including Ossining and Port Chester, which are in my district. It will also be a major boost to school districts like East Ramapo, North Rockland, and Peekskill, among others, which have for too long been unjustly denied the level of state funding to which they are constitutionally entitled.

To be clear, this victory was made possible by the tireless work of parents, educators, activists, and Democratic state legislators who organized for years to get the state to make good on its moral and legal obligation to our young people. Justice should never have been delayed, and thanks to their dedication, today, our students are finally getting the investment they deserve. I was proud to fight alongside this coalition as a community organizer before I ran for Congress, and I’ll continue to work in partnership with them to ensure we invest in our children.”