Nachum welcomed Maury Litwack, Executive Director of Teach Coalition, back to JM in the AM to get the latest news concerning government funding for STEM studies in Yeshiva day schools. The press release is below:
TEACH NYS LAUDS GOV. CUOMO & STATE LEGISLATURE FOR DISTRIBUTING STEM REIMBURSEMENT FUNDS TO NONPUBLIC SCHOOLS
NEW YORK STATE BUDGET AWARDS STEM FUNDING TO 338 NONPUBLIC SCHOOLS AS PART OF HISTORIC BILL
NEW YORK – Teach NYS, a project of the Orthodox Union (OU) and a leading advocate for equitable funding for New York State’s nonpublic schools, applauds New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and the state legislature for distributing the first $5 million of funding to reimburse nonpublic schools for science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) educators. New York is the first state to establish a STEM educator reimbursement program, making this a historic new program.
“We thank Governor Cuomo and our state legislators for awarding these crucial funds to nonpublic schools. We hope that other states will follow on the heels of New York and create similar programs,” said Orthodox Union President Moishe Bane. “More STEM funding leads to better opportunities for our children which will benefit the nation as a whole.”
Nonpublic schools throughout New York state will be able to use the funding immediately and in planning for the upcoming academic year. New York is funding $5 million in the first year of this program, $15 million in the second year and $30 million in the third year.
“By passing this historic bill to reimburse nonpublic schools for their STEM instructors, the state is directly investing in our schools and in our children,” said Orthodox Union Executive Vice President Allen Fagin. “The STEM fields are critical to workforce development and making sure that our children – and all nonpublic school children across the state – have the skills critical to their success and the ability to compete in the job market.”
Recognizing that STEM education is a national priority, Teach NYS initiated and led an advocacy campaign involving thousands of parents and students working alongside policy makers in Albany to pass this historical bill.
“We thank our schools, lay leaders, parents and students who worked with us to advocate for this important STEM funding,” said Teach NYS Chairman Neil Cohen. “Whether it was joining us for meetings with legislators, participating in our mother-daughter STEM mission or taking part in our annual Albany Mission – it is because of your partnership in our children’s education that our legislators passed this bill and are providing this crucial funding.”
Teach NYS, a division of the Orthodox Union’s Teach Coalition, was founded in 2013 to advocate for equitable government funding for New York’s nonpublic schools to increase security, enhance education and defray the costs of state mandated services. For more information, visit http://teachnys.org.
