ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — The perennial debate over how much New York spends on public schools has returned to Albany as lawmakers and Gov. Andrew Cuomo work to craft a new state budget before Monday's deadline.
Several Democratic lawmakers joined dozens of parents and education advocates Thursday for an education finance protest outside Cuomo's office.
Cuomo has proposed $956 million in new education funding for a total of $27.7 billion. Thursday's protesters want at least $600 million more to comply with court rulings that found the state was underfunding public schools.
Education spending is largest part of the budget and is often among the toughest budget issues to resolve.
Other items considered for the budget include new tolls in Manhattan, a statewide plastic bag ban and the elimination of cash bail for criminal defendants.
