2025 Joint Legislative Budget Hearing - Elementary Education/ Secondary Education
January 29, 2025
9:30 AM
Hearing Room B, Legislative Office Building, Albany

Transcript Pending
Testimony
Betty A. Rosa
Commissioner
New York State Education Department

Melissa Aviles-Ramos
Chancellor
New York City Department of Education

Michael Mulgrew
President
United Federation of Teachers

Melinda Person
President
New York State United Teachers

Henry Rubio
President
Council of School Supervisors and Administrators

Cynthia Gallagher PhD.
Director, Government Relations
School Administrators Association of NYS

Jennifer Pyle
Executive Director
Conference of Big 5 School Districts

Tonja Williams Knight
Superintendent
Buffalo Public Schools

Demario Strickland
Interim Superintendent
Rochester City School District

Anthony Davis
Superintendent
Syracuse City School District

Anibal Soler
Superintendent
Yonkers Public Schools

Joseph Hochreiter
Superintendent
City School District of Albany

K. Veronica Smith
Acting Superintendent
Mount Vernon City School District

Christopher Spence
Superintendent
Utica City School District

Robert Lowry
Deputy Director
NYS Council of School Superintendents

Brian Fessler
Chief Advocacy Officer
NYS School Boards Association

Brian Cechnicki
Executive Director
Association of School Business Officials of NY

Kyle Belokopitsky
Executive Director
NYS Parent Teacher Association

David Little
Executive Director
Rural Schools Association of New York

Scott Budelmann
Legislative Liaison
BOCES of New York State

Ashara Baker
New York State Director
National Parents Union

Bernadette Kappen
Co-Chair
4201 Schools Association

John Lopez
President
New York State Coalition of 853 Schools

Randi Levine
Policy Director
Advocates for Children of New York

David Sandman
President & CEO
New York Health Foundation

Michael Rebell
Executive Director
Center for Educational Equity, Teachers College, Columbia University

Maxwell Prime
Director Government Relations and Advocacy
New York Library Association

Tommy Smith
President
New York School Bus Contractors Association

Catherine Cochran
Policy Associate
Center for Science in the Public Interest

Jessica Pino-Goodspeed
Coalition Leader
Healthy School Meals for All NY Kids Coalition

Claire L Barnett
Executive Director
Healthy Schools Network

Sydney Altfield
Executive Director
Teach NYS

Rabbi Yeruchim Silber
Director of New York Governmental Relations
Agudath Israel of America

Fatimah Barker
Interim Executive Director
New York Charter School Association

James Merriman
Chief Executive Officer
NYC Charter School Center

James Cultrara
Executive Secretary
New York State Coalition for the Independent And Religious Schools

Marina Marcou - O’Malley
Interim Co - Executive Director
Alliance for Quality Education

Arlene Benjamine-Gomez
Executive Director
The Education Trust – New York

Chelsea Baytemur
Director of Policy and Advocacy
YMCA of Greater NY

Beatrice Weber
Senior Advisor
YAFFED

Written Testimony
Wayne Spence
President
New York State Public Employees Federation