The Jewish community has much to be pleased about in the newly released 2016-17 New York State budget, including significant victories for the state’s independent and religious schools and increased funding for vital neighborhood programs that enable seniors to age in place, Assemblyman Steven Cymbrowitz (D-Brooklyn) said today.

Yeshivas and other nonpublic schools throughout the state will receive an additional $72.5 million in funding overall. This includes $20 million over two years for safety and security grants, financing the hiring of security personnel and other vital proactive measures. An increase of $60 million over the next two years through the Mandated Services Reimbursement program will bolster funding for Comprehensive Attendance Policy (CAP) requirements. CAP provides nonpublic schools with reimbursements for tracking and enforcing student attendance.

Additionally, the New York State Education Department will create an Office for Religious and Independent Schools, funded at $2 million, which will provide important resources and support for program administration and curriculum development. Assemblyman Cymbrowitz said the new Office will serve as a valuable resource for yeshivas and other independent schools in a variety of ways, including strengthening STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) programs to ensure that graduates are well equipped to meet the demands of today’s workforce.

“Nonpublic schools are an essential part of New York’s educational landscape, providing families with the school options they need and teaching students who will go on to make a real difference in our state,” said Assemblyman Cymbrowitz, who represents one of the largest Jewish communities in New York State.

Assemblyman Cymbrowitz, Chairman of the Aging Committee, worked hard to ensure that more seniors than ever will be able to remain in their homes and communities. The budget achieves his hard-fought goal to update statutory requirements for New York’s Naturally Occurring Retirement Communities (NORCs) and Neighborhood NORCs, and protect and enhance funding for these vital programs. His efforts helped prevent 11 NORC and neighborhood NORC programs statewide from closing, restored more than $950,000 of proposed program cuts and added an additional $700,000 in program funding for a total of $1.65 million.

“Thanks to this funding, thousands of New York’s seniors will receive the services they need to continue to age in place, avoiding unnecessary hospitalization or nursing home placement and a vital part of their homes and communities,” he said.

Assemblyman Cymbrowitz says the new budget also provides $200,000 for specialized health and mental-health programs for New York’s Holocaust survivors. This vulnerable population often experiences complications beyond the normal scope of aging, and the new funding stream will allow for programs that target their particular needs.

As the former Chairman of the Assembly’s Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Committee, Assemblyman Cymbrowitz was essential in crafting the State’s comprehensive 2014 bill package to address the epidemic of prescription opioid and heroin abuse, and he helped raise awareness about the problem of drug and alcohol abuse in Brooklyn’s Jewish community. This year, as part of the work Assemblyman Cymbrowitz started, the budget will invest $25 million in the Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services (OASAS) to combat the heroin/opiate crisis, increasing spending to $166 million in FY 2017. Funding will be directed to increase access for prevention, treatment and recovery support services for individuals impacted by heroin, opiate and other substance use disorders.

(YWN Desk – NYC)