Following another round of non-public school reimbursements from the $250 million Comprehensive Attendance Policy (CAP) agreement, Teach NYS, a project of the OU Advocacy Center, thanked Gov. Andrew Cuomo and legislative leaders for providing record funding for Jewish day schools.

“We remain extremely grateful to the New York Legislature and the governor for this program” said Maury Litwack, Director of State Political Affairs at the Orthodox Union. “This historic repayment continues to bring real money that delivers a tangible impact to our schools. Teach NYS will continue to advocate for programs that bring new and increased funding into our schools.”

The repayment agreement, reached among Gov. Cuomo, Sen. Majority Leader John Flanagan and Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie in June 2015 set aside $250 million over two years to repay Jewish day school and other nonpublic schools to compensate for a period of underfunding of the CAP program in previous administrations. Teach NYS maintains a full-time lobbying team in Albany during the legislative session and has long advocated for increases to CAP and Mandated Service Reimbursement (MSR) funding as well as the current CAP repayment.

CAP and MSR are state programs that provide funding for non-public schools that comply with state requirements for attendance, testing, immunizations and other services.

“We are now seeing more non-public school funding than ever before in New York State” said Jake Adler, New York Policy Director for Teach NYS. “Thanks to Gov. Cuomo, Sen. Majority Leader Flanagan and Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, Jewish day schools and yeshivas are receiving more funding from the state than ever. We will continue our work on the ground in Albany with the senate, assembly and our community’s schools so that they are ultimately funded at the same level as public schools.”

In addition to its advocacy team, Teach NYS also employs school resource specialists who work with Jewish day schools and yeshivas to ensure they receive the local, state and federal government funding to which they’re entitled.

(YWN Desk – NYC)