Senate Resolution No. 1411

BY: Senator KENNEDY

COMMENDING Say Yes to Education Buffalo upon the
occasion of celebrating its 5th Anniversary

WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body to recognize and
pay tribute to those organizations which are committed to enhancing the
quality of education in the State of New York, and which enable our
schools to offer excellent educational programs in the most efficient
manner; and

WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern, and in full accord with its
long-standing traditions, this Legislative Body is justly proud to
commend Say Yes to Education Buffalo upon the occasion of celebrating
its 5th Anniversary; and

WHEREAS, Founded in 2012, Say Yes to Education Buffalo is a landmark
partnership which brings the Buffalo Public School District, parents,
the Buffalo Teachers Federation, the Buffalo Association of
Administrators and Supervisors, higher education, the City of Buffalo,
Erie County, Say Yes to Education, Inc., and a diverse group of Buffalo
area corporate, non-profit, and philanthropic organizations together to
organize people, time, money and resources to provide holistic,
year-round support to Buffalo Public School District students throughout
their kindergarten-12 years and beyond; and

WHEREAS, This education-based initiative aims to provide a powerful
engine for long-term economic development through radically improving
the life course of public school students in the City of Buffalo; to
accomplish this goal, the partnership combines a comprehensive
kindergarten-12 support system with the incentive of locally funded
postsecondary Tuition Scholarships to remove the barriers (financial,
academic, social and health) to college access and success for youth in
the City of Buffalo; and

WHEREAS, Say Yes to Education Buffalo is focused on the children and
providing whatever resources students and their families need to
navigate the bureaucracy of transcripts, test scores and letters; the
organization also guarantees free tuition, through scholarships, to any
graduate of a Buffalo public or charter school; and

WHEREAS, Nearly three out of four Buffalo students using the
scholarships are minorities; almost half are black, ten percent are
Hispanic, and six percent are Asian; nearly nine out of 10 students
receiving the scholarship come from families which earn less than
$50,000 a year; and

WHEREAS, Since its inception, the graduation rate in Buffalo schools
has increased from 49% in 2012, to 63% for the class of 2015; in that
same year, 67% of Buffalo Public School graduates continued on to a two-
or four-year college; and

WHEREAS, In addition, Say Yes to Education Buffalo has been
instrumental in sending 3,000 students to college, thereby increasing
the portion of Buffalonians moving on to higher education; and


WHEREAS, Emerson, the International Preparatory School at Grover on
the West Side of Buffalo, and McKinley High School on Elmwood Avenue,
saw the biggest improvement in their percentage of college-bound
graduates; and

WHEREAS, Say Yes to Education Buffalo truly believes that every
student can graduate high school and college when given the proper
supports, resources, and opportunities; and

WHEREAS, This Legislative Body is very pleased to have this
opportunity to salute Say Yes to Education Buffalo for its history of
purposeful endeavor which has greatly benefited the community of
Buffalo, and to wish this worthy organization continued success in
future years; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
commend Say Yes to Education Buffalo upon the occasion of celebrating
its 5th Anniversary; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be
transmitted to Say Yes to Education Buffalo.