Ranzenhofer to serve on Joint Budget Subcommittee for Education

State Senator Michael H. Ranzenhofer has been appointed to serve as a member of the Joint Budget Subcommittee for Education.

Over the next several weeks, Senator Ranzenhofer will work with members of the Senate and Assembly to finalize the education portion of the 2016-17 State Budget.

“One of my priorities is getting rid of the GEA budget cuts. As a member of this committee, I will be pushing to eliminate the GEA once and for all,” Ranzenhofer said. “Abolishing the GEA in this year’s budget will finally restore millions of dollars to our schools and build a better future for our children.”

Nearly $434 million in Gap Elimination Adjustment (GEA) cuts remain for schools in 2016-17. The Senate’s one-house budget resolution, passed earlier this week, ends the GEA this year.  Governor Andrew Cuomo proposed a phase-out of the GEA over two years.

The GEA was first imposed in 2010 by former Governor David Paterson and the Democrats who controlled the Senate and Assembly. Senator Ranzenhofer voted against the GEA because it made severe cuts to the bottom lines of school districts in Western New York.

Since it was first approved, Senator Ranzenhofer has been leading the charge to eradicate the GEA and deliver major funding increases to help mitigate its devastating impact on education. In the past five years, the GEA cuts have been reduced by approximately 85 percent. Last year alone, Senator Ranzenhofer successfully pushed for an additional $603 million to help schools overcome the GEA challenge.