James Davis, President of the Professional Staff Congress, the union representing 30,000 faculty and staff at the City University of New York, released the following statement about the Fiscal Year 2023 New York State budget after Governor Hochul announced a conceptual agreement.
“We thank Governor Hochul, Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins and Speaker Carl Heastie and their leadership teams, higher education committee chairs Senator Toby Ann Stavisky and Assemblymember Deborah Glick, and the New Deal for CUNY prime sponsors, Senator Andrew Gounardes and Assemblymember Karines Reyes. The tenacious advocacy of PSC members, CUNY Rising Alliance groups, and the 76 New Deal for CUNY cosponsors made possible the increased funding for full-time faculty lines, fringe benefits, critical infrastructure, part-time TAP, closure of the TAP gap, TAP for incarcerated individuals, childcare centers and other investments.
While some details remain uncertain, it’s clear this budget demonstrates a renewed understanding and appreciation of CUNY’s ability to uplift our communities, build futures, and power New York State’s economy. It sets us on a course to a New Deal for CUNY, which we must follow for the sake of future generations of CUNY students. Public institutions such as CUNY that support working people and communities of color have been chronically underfunded for too long; undoing that damage will require more transformative investment. CUNY will receive the largest year-over-year increase in decades, but the senior colleges will still be left next year with per-student funding below 2009 levels.
So we welcome the important steps taken in this budget, reaffirm our commitment to work with the Governor and Legislature, and redouble our collective effort to fund the CUNY that New York deserves.”
