Teachers Criticize State Budget at Castelli Forum

BEDFORD, N.Y. - Teachers told District Assembly member Robert J. Castelli (R, C – Goldens Bridge) that the proposed state budget hurts educators and schools.

Castelli hosted his annual citizens' budget session at Bedford Town Hall, giving members of school groups, local officials and taxpayers of Bedford a chance to weigh in on Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s proposed $132.5 billion budget in advance of the senate and assembly budget resolutions.

Bedford Teachers Association President Adam Yuro told Castelli Albany should consider repealing unfunded mandates, such as a new item that tasks towns with funding official teacher performance reviews.

“I’m asking Assemblyman Castelli to at least let Albany know that it should at least consider revisiting the impact of the tax cap and to reevaluate its necessity in better economic times,” Yuro said.

Yuro also stated his opposition to another element of the budget: pension reform item Tier 6, which he said, would force public employees to choose between a pension plan that he called “severely diminished” and a 401k-style plan.

Castelli said that, while he had supported the tax cap in the Assembly, he had done so with the caveat that the budget also include short term mandate relief. He explained that the tax cap is predicted to have long term effects including a projected savings of $120 billion over the next 30 years once the savings from the last pension initiative, Tier 5, are added on.

“Short term mandate relief was always what we needed most and first,” Castelli said, adding that he hopes his fellow legislators will bring some good mandate relief suggestions to the table as the budget resolution discussions continue in Albany.

Castelli praised the Bedford School District, one of three in his constituency, for its  cooperation, stating that it is the “gross mismanagement of funds in many of the areas of the state” that has caused the tax cap to be foisted on financially prudent districts.

“The tax cap wouldn’t be necessary if it was just in the municipalities that I represent,” he said.

The session was the last in a series of hearings Castelli hosted around the area on three consecutive days. The state budget is due April 1.

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