Murphy joins coalition to call for an end of Gap Elimination Adjustment

ALBANY, NY - At a press conference in Albany today, the New York State Senate Majority outlined their plan to abolish the notorious Gap Elimination Adjustment (GEA) and it's devastating impact on state funding to public schools. The Senate Republican Conference is proposing to return $1 billion to schools across the state by accelerating the complete elimination of the GEA in the 2015-16 state budget.

"As a father of three young kids I believe we have a responsibility to provide a quality education for all of New York's children," said Senator Terrence P. Murphy. "By finally getting rid of the Gap Elimination Adjustment we will restore vital dollars to all of our schools and help areas like Peekskill, who lost more than two million dollars last year, improve vital programs and resources for their students."

The GEA was first imposed on New Yorkers in 2010 by former Governor David Paterson and the Democrats who controlled the Senate and Assembly. The entire Senate Republican Conference voted against the GEA because it created severe cuts to the bottom lines for public schools.

Since it was first approved, Senate Republicans have been leading the charge to abolish the GEA and deliver major funding increases to help mitigate its impact on education. The GEA cuts have been reduced by 62 percent -- from a high of $2.6 billion in the 2011-2012 budget to $1 billion in the 2014-15 budget - to help restore billions of dollars in state aid to schools.

Senate Majority Leader and Coalition Co-Leader Dean G. Skelos said, "The Senate Republican Conference has been fighting to roll-back the damage caused by Senate and Assembly Democrats since they created the GEA. In the last few years, we successfully chipped away at the GEA's impact by restoring funding to public schools, and this year, we are making it a priority to fully eliminate the $1 billion in anticipated GEA cuts from the budget."

Last year the Peekskill School District lost more than two million dollars to the GEA as did the Lakeland School District. In Putnam County Mahopac Central School District lost nearly three million dollars. On average, less than 40% of GEA funding has been restored to schools in the 40th Senate District.