Assemblyman Philip Ramos (D- Central Islip) recently announced the Assembly and Senate’s passage of an on-time education budget providing local schools with millions more in funding over last year, and millions more than what the governor proposed.

"Our local schools deserve the funding they need to properly educate our children," Ramos said. "Unfortunately, the governor’s budget simply did not provide that."

The agreement reached will bring millions more to area school districts, including Brentwood, Central Islip, Bay Shore and Islip. These schools within the 6th Assembly District will be receiving nearly $18 million more in state aid than last year and $7.6 million more than the governor’s proposed budget.

Ramos has also fought for an additional increase in building aid, especially for those in high need school districts. Specifically, both Central Islip and Brentwood will be receiving an additional 5% in building aid.

"By providing our high-need school districts with a 5 percent increase in the building aid reimbursement rate, we are helping to provide our children with a safe, modern learning environment," Ramos said. "Many schools are literally falling apart because they don’t have the money to make necessary repairs. Students should be focusing on their education, not whether the ceiling in their classroom is going to collapse."

The Legislature also restored the governor’s cuts for various expense-based aids, funds that local schools already spent and are entitled to state reimbursement for, including BOCES services, transportation costs, and educating students with disabilities.

To better ensure schools are spending tax dollars wisely, an additional $2.9 million was added to the state Comptroller’s office for additional school audits.

"This is the first time in 20 years that when voters go to vote for their school budget, they will actually know how much state aid their schools will be receiving," said Ramos. "This is a good thing for New York and for all our Suffolk County families. I strongly urge the governor to accept this bipartisan compromise and give our children the quality education and the brighter future they deserve."