Hochul makes 'Back to Basics' reading announcement in Albany
ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- Governor Kathy Hochul made an announcement regarding reading education Friday in Albany. "Back to Basics" reading legislation was signed into law as part of the FY 2025 budget.
The "Back to Basics" plan will have every New York classroom use evidence-based instructions to improve reading rates across the state. School aid was increased by $1.3B, reaching nearly $36B in the new 2025 FY budget.
“Reading is one of the most fundamental skills students need to learn, but currently our kids are not meeting basic reading proficiency levels,” Governor Hochul said. “With this Budget, we're throwing out debunked reading instruction practices and getting back to basics, using phonics, reading comprehension, and other effective techniques to set our kids up for success.”
Per the governor's press office, the budget includes $10M to train 20,000 teachers to use instructional best practices through NYSUT's Education and Learning Trust. The budget also expands the State University of New York (SUNY) and City University of New York's (CUNY) micro-credentialing programs for teachers, ensuring current and future teachers applying for advanced education are best prepared.
New York lawmakers passed the 2024-2025 state budget on Saturday, April 20. The state Assembly and Senate enacted the nearly $237 billion spending plan after final deliberations on numerous state bills.