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Governor Hochul outlined a vision in her State of the State address to create a more equitable education system to support New York’s diverse student populationÌýwhile serving our schools, teachers, and families.

The Governor’s proposal to address teacher shortages by providing incentives to enter the teaching profession, leveraging our state’s institutions of higher education to expand teacher recruitment, and making higher education more affordable are the steps necessary to build upon the Department’s efforts to grow and sustain a diverse and qualified teacher workforce.

We applaud the Governor’s plan to support the social-emotional needs of students and invest in students’ ongoing academic recovery efforts. We further appreciate the Governor’s advocacy for increased funding to ensure quality services for students and adults with disabilities, as well as her proposal to create safe and supportive climates in schools.Ìý

Finally, we thank the Governor for her commitment to increasing the Department’s staffing levels in the Office of Higher Education. This is a critical step toward restoring Departmentwide staffing decreases. We look forward to working with the Executive and Legislature in the months ahead to achieve our shared goals.