Albany, NY – Governor Eliot Spitzer's budget, unveiled on January 22, includes $54.9 million to cover reimbursement for funds expended by the state's nonpublic schools to comply with the requirements of the state's Comprehensive Attendance Policy (CAP) during the 2006-2007 school year.
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Under New York law, nonpublic schools are entitled to reimbursement for their costs in carrying out a wide array of state mandates. CAP is one of those mandates.
Last year's allocation to cover the CAP reimbursement for year 2005-2006 was $39.9 million. However, SED recognized that the correct figure should have been $15 million higher.
In his new current budget for fiscal year 2008-2009, the Governor included the higher figure, Agudath Israel's executive vice president for government and public affairs praised Mr. Spitzer for his "principled stand."
The $54.9 reimbursement is in addition to the Governor's proposed $87.5 million reimbursement for other mandated services, bringing the total proposed mandated services to $142.4 million. Children in Jewish schools across the state comprise some 20-25% of the total state nonpublic school population, so the Jewish school share of these reimbursement funds would be approximately $30 million.