SCOTT STRINGER
Candidate's website

1. COMMUNITY COLLEGE FUNDING:
State Education Law mandates that the City fund one-third of CUNY community college's overall budget, but that level of funding has not been met for nearly a decade.
(a) Do you plan to increase City funding for CUNY?
(b) By how much?
(c) Over what period of time?

(a) Yes. I strongly favor increased City funding for all CUNY campuses. This year the Assembly budget proposal increases base aid to community colleges by $34.3 million - or $175 per student, and I support this increase, at a minimum.

(b) At the very least CUNY should be funded at the legally required one-third level. The City must step up to the plate as well, and provide the additional funding that CUNY deserves.

(c) Increased support for CUNY should begin with the negotiation of the next City budget and should remain a continued funding priority of the City and State.

(a) I strongly support a decrease in CUNY tuition. In fact, I was one of only a handful of State Legislators that voted against the 1995-1996 State Budget that included CUNY and SUNY tuition increases.

(b) I would continue to work toward a freeze and roll back of CUNY tuition as an immediate priority.

(c) CUNY tuition should be decreased across the board. All CUNY students should have access to an affordable tuition for a quality higher education.

(d) Yes, I would make it a priority to advocate for full-funding of CUNY that would enable the implementation of a tuition free CUNY system.

(a) First and foremost, reducing CUNY tuition should be the first step in assisting CUNY students who have children. Second, high quality, affordable childcare facilities should be available on all CUNY campuses for all CUNY students. The Assembly budget proposal restores the $3 million cut for childcare services proposed by the Governor, and increases funding by $2 million over last year to expand and improve services for students with children. I fully support these restorations and increases.

(b) City and State aid to CUNY should be increased to reflect a total commitment to providing childcare on all CUNY campuses.

(a) Yes. I was a co-sponsor of that legislation in the New York State Assembly, and I will continually be supportive of the Work-Study/Internship Bill.

(b) Yes. College enrollment and attendance should count as work activity, and I would support legislation that allowed this.

(c) My colleague, Chair of the Higher Education Committee, Assemblymember Edward Sullivan, is introducing a bill to this effect in the New York State Assembly, and I will support it.

(d) New Yorkers on Public Assistance should be encouraged to attend college. To accomplish this, welfare work requirements should be amended to support college enrollment and attendance, and CUNY tuition should be affordable and financial aid should be increased.

(a) Yes. TAP should be expanded. This year the Assembly budget proposal provides an additional $21 million above the Governor's plan to increase Tap. I am fighting to double the awards to $1,000; eliminate the TAP uppercut which decreases awards to juniors and seniors; double the income deduction a family can claim for a second or third college student; and to provide $4 million for creation of a supplemental TAP program.

(b) Yes, as a CUNY graduate and member of the Higher Education Committee in the New York State Assembly, I strongly support increases in TAP and financial aid.

(c) Again, I would continue fighting to double the awards to $1,000; eliminate the TAP uppercut which decreases awards to juniors and seniors; double the income deduction a family can claim for a second or third college student; and to provide $4 million for creation of a supplemental TAP program.

(a) Yes, I strongly support the need for more full time faculty lines at CUNY.

(b) A better and more reasonable ratio between full and part - time CUNY faculty for a high-quality education would be 70 - 30%.

(a) No. As Public Advocate, I would fight any cuts to the Merit Scholarship Program.

(b) Yes. I would consider additional merit scholarship incentives for NYC students.

(c) I would welcome all suggestions for individual incentives on a case-by-case basis.

(a) Yes. I support the College NOW program.

(b) Yes. I would support increased funding for expanding College NOW.

(c) The program should be permanently expanded as soon as possible.

9. REMEDIATION:
Last year, the CUNY Master Plan removed remediation from its four-year colleges. Now, extra academic assistance and tutoring are only available to students studying at CUNY's community colleges.
(a) Do you agree with this action?
(b) Why or why not?
(c) Would you restore remediation to the four-year campuses?

(a) No.
(b) Remediation should be available to all CUNY students who need extra assistance in achieving academic excellence, regardless of what type of degree that they are seeking.
(c) Yes. I strongly support restoring remediation programs on the four-year campuses.

(a) All CUNY campuses need more basic infrastructure resources such as buildings and technology, and I would advocate for these needs to be met on each campus, in order of priority.

(b) Yes. I would support additional funding to cover capital costs so that Community Colleges can successfully absorb CUNY's Master Plan.

(c) Funding must be created in the City and State budgets.

(a) My top three higher education priorities, include:
First, ensuring that a higher education at all CUNY institutions is accessible to all New Yorkers, which means that we need open admissions, affordable tuition and higher standards - without excluding any students.
Second, for New Yorkers attending other schools, we need to redouble our commitment to financial aid by expanding the TAP program and supporting creative loan forgiveness programs such as loan forgiveness for students who become teachers or police officers.

The third priority would be a five year budgeting for CUNY. This would stop the yearly budget game and allow schools to plan for curriculum development, hire staff, and focus on program development - instead of spending time and energy on yearly lobbying efforts.

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