Letter to Hon. Kathy Hochul, Governor of New York State - Reaffirming Importance of New York's Educational Leaders

Letter

Dear Governor Hochul,

Congratulations on your new role as Governor of our great state and thank you for your service
as Lieutenant Governor over the past 8 years.

We thank you for your immediate action upon your swearing in to extend New York's eviction
moratorium, as well your mask mandate across the state, and your sense of urgency on
nominating and confirming individuals to the Cannabis Control Board. Marijuana social equity
will be pivotal in moving our state forward. Shortly after, the remnants of Tropical Storm Ida
severely damaged our state and you swiftly led in requesting and securing a Major Disaster
Declaration to make available badly needed federal assistance to our constituents. In a short
period, you have demonstrated a commitment to serving all New Yorkers. As our students,
teachers, and school communities embark on a very challenging return to school, it's imperative
we empower education leaders who share your commitment.

As you know, multiple sources of federal pandemic relief have either expired, including
Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) and Pandemic Emergency Unemployment
Compensation (PEUC) enacted under the CARES Act. Additional federal pandemic relief
enacted at the end of December 2020, such as increased SNAP benefits, paid sick leave, and paid
family and medical leave tax credits will expire at the end of September. The U.S. Supreme
Court's August 26, 2021 decision to strike down President Biden's CDC eviction moratorium
put even more New Yorkers in immediate danger as a revolving eviction crisis continues across
the country. A nationwide eviction crisis is a significant threat to a safe and sustainable return to
in-person learning. It cannot be understated that every facet of a child's life has been impacted
by the pandemic, potentially exposing them to adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). Because a
suite of federal resources is not, or will soon not be, available, we believe it is important that
New York has strong educational leadership in place. We believe that we have that strong
educational leadership in Dr. Betty Rosa, Commissioner of Education and President of the
University of the State of New York, and Dr. Lester W. Young, Jr., Chancellor of the New York
State Board of Regents.

As members of Congress, we hear directly from the New York families we represent about their
hopes and concerns for their child's education. From our constituents, we believe we need state
education leaders who have experience effectively serving high need populations with increased
access to high-quality STEM education, curriculum development and implementation, socialemotional learning, parent engagement, interagency collaboration, and supports for students with
disabilities, as well as supports for students who are English language learners.

Given their decades of experience directly serving students as teachers, school leaders, and
district leaders, we have every confidence that Dr. Rosa and Dr. Young are the education leaders
who can develop an education budget that meets the needs of all New York students and lead us
through the many challenges exacerbated by the pandemic into a future for the betterment of us
all, but most importantly our children.

We thank you in advance for your leadership and we look forward to your reply.

Respectfully,

Jamaal Bowman, Ed. D.
Member of Congress

Mondaire Jones
Member of Congress

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