This legislative session, our members told us what they wanted, and we mobilized to make it happen. The results speak for themselves.
Working together, we helped secure many long-sought reforms, including the full expansion of universal meals, updates to the BOCES and CTE funding formulas, and historic legislation that makes New York the largest state to enact bell-to-bell cellphone restrictions for students. NYSUT also helped ensure the Foundation Aid formula got some much-needed updates to meet the emerging needs of today’s students. This year’s victories also included additional funding for higher education and professional development.
Read on for some of the many NYSUT-backed measures that earned legislative victories this session.
Union Wins
Universal School Meals
What you said: Hungry students can’t learn. When a child is hungry, it affects the dynamics of the whole classroom, contributing to fatigue, emotional dysregulation, and detracting from students' ability to perform.
What NYSUT did: This year, our advocacy secured universal meals for all New York students, regardless of their household income. This is a monumental achievement for New York’s students and families that’s been a long time in the making.
What it means: Poverty is not inevitable. It is a result of policy choices and, like we did with universal meals, we can choose to do better for our children.
BOCES and Career & Technical Education Funding
What you said: BOCES and other CTE programs offered through New York’s public schools can be a major economic boon for communities because they prepare students to get well-paid, in-demand jobs right out of high school, but without proper funding, these programs will keep leaving students out.
What NYSUT did: We lobbied hard for adequate funding for these practical and highly sought-after programs to ensure more students have access to high-quality career and technical education.
What it means: Over the next three years, the BOCES salary cap will increase from $30,000 to $60,000 and Special Services Aid will rise from $3,900 to $4,100. In 2025-26, ninth grade will be included in Special Services Aid, greatly expanding access for students across New York. These changes will allow BOCES and programs within the Big Five school districts to expand vital CTE programs and create more opportunities for students to gain in-demand skills.
Distraction-Free Schools
What you said: Personal electronics – especially cellphones – and social media are impacting students’ ability to focus and engage in authentic learning in your classrooms.
What NYSUT did: NYSUT successfully lobbied the state to adopt a statewide bell-to-bell cellphone policy and convened educators, students, and health and safety experts to share their own experiences at regional Disconnected conferences across New York.
What it means: The new policy will go into effect for the 2025-26 school year and applies to all schools in public school districts, as well as charter schools and Boards of Cooperative Educational Services.
Foundation Aid
What you said: Foundation Aid should meet the promise of public education for all students. The aid formula is a vital mechanism for driving state support for public schools, but the formula doesn’t take into account the full scope of student needs, and many elements haven’t been updated since 2007.
What NYSUT did: This year, NYSUT submitted a series of recommendations on how to fix the formula, and our members turned out in force at hearings across the state to testify on behalf of our students.
What it means: The state made critical changes to the formula including updating the latest poverty and census data, changing the weighting of English language learners (ELLs), and providing a two percent increase for every school district. Plus, the 2025-26 budget increases state aid by nearly $1.4 billion over last year.
New Deal for Higher Ed
What you said: Our public colleges and universities provide a pathway to success for countless New Yorkers, and we need generational investment to continue to meet this need.
What NYSUT did: NYSUT helped secure more operating and capital funds for SUNY and CUNY and community colleges that will go a long way toward ensuring that New York can continue to deliver on its promise to provide ALL students with access to affordable higher education.
A new program will also provide free community college for adults ages 25–55 without college degrees who are pursuing associate degrees in high-demand fields like nursing, cybersecurity, advanced manufacturing and renewable energy.
The enacted budget provides an additional $250 million for the modernization and revitalization of Upstate University Hospital, and another $450 million for upgrades at SUNY Downstate Hospital.
What it means: Investment in SUNY and CUNY not only benefits students but also provides substantial returns for New York’s tax base. Every dollar invested in SUNY by the state yields a return of $8.17, and SUNY is also one of the top 10 largest employers in every region in the state except New York City.
Professional Development
What you said: Training programs for teachers, by teachers, are critical to promoting effective instructional practices that share the most up-to-date research-based information.
What NYSUT did: NYSUT successfully lobbied for the state budget to include $21.4 million for New York’s 124 Teacher Centers. This amount is higher than last year’s original allocation of $14.3 million, which was ultimately augmented by Gov. Hochul to keep it level with the 2023-24 allocation of $21.4 million.
What it means: NYSUT continues to demonstrate its commitment to being a resource for professional learning. When it comes to teaching, teachers know best.
Recess
What you said: Recess isn’t a break from learning; it’s how kids learn. When kids play, they return to class calmer, more focused and more prepared to learn.
What NYSUT did: NYSUT members rallied at the Capitol to highlight the power of unstructured play and sent thousands of emails to legislators calling on them to pass legislation to make sure recess is a daily priority in schools.
What it means: This year, the State Education Department will conduct a statewide survey of recess in elementary schools and charter schools from K-6, including whether it is offered, the length and frequency, location, and other important factors. This information will help us shape our next move to make sure all children have access to regular playtime.
Freedom to Read
What you said: The freedom to learn is increasingly coming under attack nationwide, with book challenges and bans affecting schools and libraries at alarming rates.
What NYSUT did: NYSUT lobbied for the Freedom to Read Act, a bill that empowers school libraries and library staff to develop varied, age-appropriate collections. Then we brought the conversation directly to lawmakers, hosting a Freedom to Read event at the Capitol with librarians, who talked about their role as guardians of knowledge. Thanks to this strong show of support, the Freedom to Read Act successfully passed both houses in June.
What it means: As our public schools and libraries bear the brunt of culture wars, NYSUT will continue to defend New Yorkers’ basic freedoms. This legislation will ensure that educators – not ideologues – make the decisions about what is educationally sound for students.
AI Loading
What you said: AI needs proper oversight and, when it comes to education, you simply can’t use AI to replace the critical thinking, professional judgment and human connection that educators bring to their work.
What NYSUT did: AI should enhance the work of our dedicated public servants, not replace their professional judgment. This law will ensure that when it comes to decisions that affect people's lives, there's always a human professional involved.
What it means: As our public schools and libraries bear the brunt of culture wars, NYSUT will continue to defend New Yorkers’ basic freedoms. This legislation will ensure that educators – not ideologues – make the decisions about what is educationally sound for students.
Community College Boards
What you said: Our SUNY community college faculty and staff deserve a voice and a seat at the table on the board of trustees.
What NYSUT did: NYSUT successfully pushed for a bill that would force community colleges to add a faculty or staff member to its board of trustees.
What it means: Faculty and staff interact with students every day, and including their perspective on the board of trustees will improve decision-making and ultimately benefit New York’s community college students.
What we’re still working on
Fix Tier 6
What happened: This year, with no Fix Tier 6 legislation proposed (not a surprise), our focus shifted to making sure our lawmakers keep this issue front-and-center next year when there likely will be pension reforms on the agenda.
To do this, NYSUT members turned out in droves for Fix Tier 6 rallies across the state on the sixth of every month from February through June. Despite snowstorms, thunderstorms, gusty winds, freezing temperatures, excessive heat and everything else Mother Nature threw at us, thousands of you showed lawmakers we won’t quit until we fix Tier 6.
NYSUT will resume rallies and lobbying efforts for pension equity next fall.
Combatting Childhood Poverty
What happened: NYSUT launched our One-in-Five campaign to highlight the fact that one in five New York children live in poverty, and educators see its effects every day. We are fighting for transformative policy measures that address the root causes of poverty, including a broad expansion of the community school model and bills that would provide economic security to low-income families and pregnant women.
We are also demanding an economic system that serves all of us. NYSUT’s Share Our Wealth campaign proposes reforms that would increase taxes on the ultra-wealthy to generate billions for the state to invest in working-class New Yorkers’ basic needs like childcare, housing and transportation.
What Now?
What happened: Now, our focus shifts to Governor Kathy Hochul and urging her to sign these important bills into law before the end of the year, solidifying the progress made during this session and ensuring that the hard-fought efforts of NYSUT supporters come to fruition.
Stay tuned for more and make sure to join the NYSUT Member Action Center.