Final budget impacts school budget votes

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) — This week on Empire State Weekly, the final enacted budget for fiscal year 2025 made significant investments in education, with $7.22 billion in total funding. This funding impacted school budget votes in districts across the state.

David Albert, the Chief Communications and Marketing Officer for New York's School Boards Association, explained that there is $24 billion of fully funded foundation aid in the budget. While he was pleased that aid didn't get cut, he thought increases would have been valuable.

"In the final state budget no district ended up with less foundation aid than they got in the current year however there were a number of districts that did not get any type of increase in state aid. And that's significant because we know school districts do face rising costs year over year," said Albert.

Jackie Bray, the Commissioner of the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services (DHSES) explained a recent survey that showed first responders have faced mental health impacts from their jobs. In that survey of 6,000 first responders over 90% said their mental health could be improved through therapy and support groups, if those resources were free and easily accessible.

Also this week Henry Rosoff, a reporter with WPIX in New York City, gave an update on the latest developments from the hush money trial against former President Donald Trump.

To see these interviews and more, here is a list of how you can watch Empire State Weekly in your area of New York: