By Madina Toure
State Sen. Toby Stavisky (D-Flushing) criticized Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s decision to veto a bill that would require the state to cover mandatory costs of CUNY and SUNY, which include salary increases, fringe benefits, utilities and building rentals.
Stavisky, a former chairwoman and current ranking member of the Senate Higher Education Committee, said she is strongly in favor of the bill.
The state needs to pay its fair share for New York City public colleges and universities and “stop passing financial responsibility onto the students,” she said.
“In New York City, space is hard to come by,” she said in a statement. “Many of our colleges and community colleges have no choice but to rent offices off-campus in order to be fully operational. We as state legislators must do right by the CUNY and SUNY system and the nearly one million students they serve. I am extremely disappointed with the governor’s decision not to invest in sustaining a quality public college education.”
Reach reporter Madina Toure by e-mail at mtour
