What Senate Majority leader Dean Skelos considers fair funding for public schools on Long Island may not be what educators at public schools in upstate New York feel is fair. The group, the Statewide School Finance Consortium believes that upstate NY lawmakers have enabled wealthier districts downstate to see a much larger cut of the budget pie for years. How have upstate New York lawmakers been complicit in short-changing their own districts? And what needs to happen to make it stop? On the next edition of the Capitol Pressroom, we speak with Rick Timbs of the Statewide School Finance Consortium about this issue and the Consortium’s “4 Point Plan to Bring Education Costs Under Control”.

Back in August a federal district judge called federal research on stem cells from human embryos illegal. The ruling is currently being considered by a higher court. But August’s ruling, and the recent flurry of anti-abortion op-eds in the wake of the anniversary of Roe v Wade has some pro stem cell groups pushing to solidify support for state funding ahead of the governor’s budget address. The Associated Medical Schools of New York (AMSNY) has just released an analysis showing that funding to New York’s stem cell program has positioned New York as a leader in stem cell research, and bolstered the state’s economy. We talk about the issue with AMSNY President and Chief Executive Officer Jo Wiederhorn.

 

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