Governor Hochul: “How do you cut the Department of Education and say our kids don’t matter? You cannot say that here and get away with it in the State of New York. So we’re going to take it to the streets. We’re going to take it to Congressional offices and make them look in the eyes of our kids and tell them they’re going to go back to Washington and vote against them.”
Hochul: “That’s why in this year’s Budget, I am saying that the State of New York will pick up the cost of every single child’s school breakfast and lunch so they can start to learn. And it gives their parents a break. $1,600 less a year per child that a parent has to spend on either packing up the lunches every day, and I did that for years. I’m New York’s first mom Governor. I’d be so happy not to worry about breakfast or lunch for my kids. So we’re giving time back to busy parents as well, but also it’s part of our affordability agenda.”
Earlier today, Governor Kathy Hochul delivered remarks at the United Federation of Teachers Lobby Day to show support for New York teachers and emphasize her commitment to funding education.
A rush transcript of the Governor’s remarks is available below:
Michael is a little fired up today, wouldn’t you say? Well, that’s the kind of fire in the belly we need to take on the fights that are facing us all the way from Washington. Am I right about that? We have the leader that this moment calls for. So I thank him for everything he has done for us. Extraordinary.
And not just caring about the people he represents in the City of New York. What I have seen Mike Mulgrew do is take his vision all across the State. And what he has done — even in a place called Central New York, Syracuse — trying to focus on making sure that this Micron opportunity, the tens of thousands of good paying jobs that are coming, that he makes sure that our teachers are prepared to teach our children for those opportunities. So, Mike, I thank you for your focus on that and workforce development, all the other initiatives you’ve taken on, because we need a fighter. Thank you, Mike.
Melinda Person. Oh, you want her on your side, too. She is amazing, she is a pit bull when she gets an idea and she wants to get it done. And that’s why we will have a cell phone ban — a bell to bell ban — so you can finally teach your kids without the distractions. You’ll finally create that bond that’s been neglected for years. We will make them emerge better as fully functioning adults because they won’t be so used to staring at their hand instead of talking to the students and building relationships with their teachers. So, Melinda, let’s give you a round of applause as well. Head of our United Teachers.
Comptroller Tom DiNapoli is here. Tom DiNapoli, thank you for all you’ve done for us and our teachers in particular. We’re grateful. And our elected officials, I see John Liu and Shelley B. Mayer here as well. You’ll be hearing from them, I believe. But let me just give you a couple top lines because you have to get out there and work. You didn’t come here to just have breakfast and hang out and have a nice gathering, right? You’re here to work, right? Okay, okay.
So when you’re done here, I heard Mike tell you you’re going to congressional offices too, right? Because that’s where the biggest fight is right now. Because I have supported you. You don’t need to lobby me. I’m surrounded by teachers in my own household. I mean, you should see Christmas dinner at my house. I hear everything about the teachers from all my family members, and I so believe in what you do. And when you think about it, you’re the gatekeepers, the guardians to the future for all of our kids.
You show them the path, you give them confidence, and also you teach them to be fighters and stand up for themselves in this time. We need all of our parents, our teachers, and indeed our students to start showing up. Let them understand about civic engagement. It means you do go to these offices, that you do participate in rallies, and the more children we see out there, the bigger difference I believe you’ll have, because how do you say no?
How do you say no to a child with disabilities? How do you say no to a child who needs Title I money because they’re growing up in a poor area, whether it’s rural or urban? How do you say no to someone who needs a Pell Grant because they want that ticket to a better opportunity, just like all my family members benefitted?
How do you cut the Department of Education and say our kids don’t matter? You cannot say that here and get away with it in the State of New York. So we’re going to take it to the streets. We’re going to take it to Congressional offices and make them look in the eyes of our kids and tell them they’re going to go back to Washington and vote against them. I dare them that they cannot do it.
And you’re going to hold them accountable. So that’s the fight we’re in. Right, Mike? So that’s Washington. Let’s talk about something better. New York. Right? Right? Aren’t you glad you’re a New Yorker these days? Right?
You know, there’s a famous football coach in the Buffalo Bills. Anybody Buffalo Bills fans? Alright, alright. Or converts, okay? We still love the Giants and the Jets. Marv Levy used to say, “Where would you rather be than right here, right now?” And I feel the same thing about New York State. This is the epicenter of these fights. And we’ll take them on with Washington. But here, we’re showing how we lead.
We make investments. We unleashed years of stagnation and inaction when it came to foundation aid because we need to get that money out to our schools and our kids. We got it done. We also got the Tier [6] reforms that they talked about for years and no one was able to say, “I value our teachers, I want them to have better benefits and better opportunities, so we changed Tier [6].”
We also said this, I want to make sure that you are respected, that people understand the value of your profession. So I stand up and defend this profession every day of the week and I’m proud to do so. We also said, you know what, there’s kids in parts of our state who are coming to school with their tummies growling. Right? And you hear it. And some of you are bringing in food yourselves, you’re taking care of these babies and little kids. And I said, “No more. This is a great state and we’re not going to let that interfere with our children’s ability to learn. We’re a more compassionate state than that.”
That’s why in this year’s Budget, I am saying that the State of New York will pick up the cost of every single child’s school breakfast and lunch so they can start to learn. And it gives their parents a break. $1,600 less a year per child that a parent has to spend on either packing up the lunches every day, and I did that for years. I’m New York’s first mom Governor. I’d be so happy not to worry about breakfast or lunch for my kids. So we’re giving time back to busy parents as well, but also it’s part of our affordability agenda.
We’re putting money back in families’ pockets so they can afford to live here and have the quality of life they deserve. I’m talking about nearly $5,000 back in the pockets of all of you as well. If you have kids under the age of four, school age kids, it’s $500. Inflation rebate: we collected $3 billion more in sales tax because all of you, and everyone in the State had to pay more because of inflation. Now that’s not going to be here next year or the year after, so you can’t get long term expenditures. But I’m saying, put it back in people’s pockets, right? That’s where it came out of, $500 means something to a family. And then we’ll have a middle class tax cut and we just keep rolling. Up to $5,000 per family we can get this through.
So I need your support too. Your support for our Budget. Because you’re not just teachers, you’re also New York residents. You’re homeowners, you’re property owners, you’re supporters of your communities, you live in apartments, you’re trying to pay your own bills, right? It’s not that easy. It’s not that easy.
So this is for all of you as well. So you can count on me. I’ll be your partner. I have to tell you, I like nothing more than a fight. Mike and I are Irish. It’s kind of in our blood, right? Right? It’s what we do. So I am here to fight for you. To fight for your, the children that are looking to you as their leaders, their moral mottos, their inspiration.
And thank every one of you from the bottom of my heart for what you do every single day. Thank you very much, teachers.
March 10, 2025
Albany, NY
Sources: NY.gov , Midtown Tribune,
Big New York news BigNY.com
