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2004 State Budget Information & Letters
Governor Vetoes Library Aid Restoration:
Send this sample letter to your legislator and urge them to override the veto.
The State of Library Funding
• The Governor has proposed a 5% cut in state aid to libraries in the 2004-05 budget, a reduction of $4.4 million from $88.9 million to $84.42 million.
• Library funding has been frozen since 1998 at $88.9 million. According to Education Law , library aid should be at $91.3 million, using the new population figures of the 2000 Census (library aid is distributed on a per capita basis).
• Since 1995, School Aid has increased 47% or $4.7 billion, while Library Aid has increased by only 9% or $7.4 million.
• Library Aid makes up less than 1% of the state budget, yet Libraries serve 51% of the state’s population (registered users).
• Library usage is up 20% since 2001 due to tough economic times.
• Library costs have increased due to higher utilities costs, pension payments, health insurance premiums and the costs of books have increased, and yet funding has remained flat.
Libraries are Essential Community Resources
• 14 Studies have shown that school libraries staffed by library professionals make a difference in student’s academic performance.
• Libraries provide equal access to the information highway, especially for those New Yorkers from rural and urban communities with limited access at home or in their neighborhood to the internet, literature and the arts.
• During tough economic times, libraries are a primary source of information for the unemployed or underemployed in researching new career opportunities or starting a new business.
Our Request
1) Restore the Governor’s Cuts - $4.4 million in Library Aid and $450,000 to the New York Public Library for its CUNY Initiative and Science, Industry and Business Library
2) Provide full-funding under the law and 2000 Census with hold-harmless - $2.6 million
• Brooklyn would receive an additional $348,689 in aid per year
• Queens would receive an additional $588,229 in aid per year
• NYPL would receive an additional $514,779 in aid per year
• Monroe County would receive an additional $167,364 per year
3) Provide $3 million for NOVEL, the New York Online Virtual Electronic Library, which is currently totally funded by a decreasing federal grant due to NYS population loss. NOVEL allows universal access to databases and subscriptions not affordable by individual schools and public libraries.
4) Provide $3,179,500 for school library systems, public library construction and library inflationary aid for a total request of all of the above items - $13,672,500.
5) Insure that “high needs schools” receive funding from the CFE decision for libraries and the certified personnel to run them.
2004 Budget Reminder Letter
Let your voice be heard! Download the 2004 Budget Reminder Letter and mail it to your elected New York State Legislators.
Governor George Pataki’s Budget Proposal
On January 20, 2004, Governor George Pataki revealed his budget proposal for the coming fiscal year. In it he proposed cutting state aid to libraries by 5%, or $4.4 million. This reduction would bring library aid to $84.4 million, down from $88.9 million.
In addition, the Governor again proposed to create a new public benefit corporation, the New York Institute for Cultural Education, to oversee the State Library, the State Museum, and the State Archives, effectively removing those entities from under the authority of the Board of Regents and the State Education Department.
NYLA and its members are disappointed that the Governor chose not to acknowledge in his budget proposal the contributions made to the economy by libraries, nor did the Governor seem to see libraries as integral to the education and culture of the state's residents. By proposing a cut in state aid to libraries, the Governor has reduced their funding to pre-1998 levels, even though millions of New Yorkers use their libraries regularly and depend on library resources for job information, educational advancement, and government information.
The Governor's budget proposal will now be considered by the Legislature with the goal of developing and passing a final state budget by April 1, 2004. Please watch this website for information and direction about how you can advocate for your library during this New York State budget season.
Visit the Advocacy Materials page for tools to help you advocate for your library.
Executive Budget Cuts to Libraries
Questions and Answers
Q. Why do New Yorkers need libraries?
A. We live in an information society. Information is the currency we all work with. Libraries provide access to the information New Yorkers need for education, business, and functioning in society, regardless of how much money they make, or the wealth or geographic isolation of their community.
Library use is up 20 percent as New Yorkers turn more and more to their libraries for the information they need.
Libraries are critical to education:
• Scientific studies of thousands of school libraries across the nation and in Canada have shown that students perform better when they have access to an effective school library program.
• Reading scores rise 10 to 20 percent with increased levels of professional and support staff, size and quality of the library collections, participation in school library systems, and access to Internet resources such as those accessible through NOVEL, the New York Online Virtual Electronic Library. Improvements in achievement stand in spite of factors such as poverty level, parent education level, teacher-pupil ratio, and per-pupil spending.
• Public libraries and school libraries are important education partners; public libraries provide students with after-school homework help, research resources, and summer reading programs.
• Academic libraries provide resources for advanced students in grades 9 through 12 and resources for teachers as they continue their education on the job.
Q. What is the Executive Budget Proposal for state funding for libraries for 2004?
A. The Executive Budget proposal, released on January 20, recommends a 5-percent reduction of $4.4 million in state funding for libraries. The Executive’s proposal, if adopted by the Legislature, would further reduce state funding for libraries from the $89 million provided in 2003 to $84.4 million. The full level of state funding for libraries outlined in law is $91.3 million.
In addition, the Executive Budget proposes the continuation of a 15-percent reduction in $3 million in special state funding for two library service programs provided by The New York Public Library to the struggling urban business community and to City University of New York students and faculty. This cut amounts to $450,000.
Even with restoration of these proposed reductions, New York’s libraries are still not receiving the full state funding provided for in the law ($91.3 million). Libraries, particularly those in urban areas, are facing increasing demands for services from growing populations. A $2.6 million increase in state funding is needed to fully implement the 2000 census and to stabilize the formulas in the law.
The Executive Budget proposal is online at http://www.budget.state.ny.us.
Q. If everything else in the budget is being cut because of the state’s budget deficit, why shouldn’t libraries give up their fair share?
A. The proposal reduces state funding to libraries by a significant amount. State funding for libraries has been stagnant for seven years, and purchasing power for libraries is down 20 percent. The proposed 5-percent cut would reduce library funding to 1997 levels, which can’t support the rapid expansion in information technology and the recent 20-percent statewide surge in library use.
A recent Marist Poll shows that New Yorkers, along with all Americans, value their libraries and are willing to pay more to have strong, effective libraries in their schools and communities.
Q. Libraries already receive substantial state funding, so why can’t they sustain a small cut?
A. Libraries do not receive substantial state funding. When you consider that per-capita public support for many public libraries is as low as $2, with less than 10 percent coming from the state, you can see how little support that $89 million in state funds actually provides. Current state funding for libraries represents less than one-tenth of one percent of the entire state budget.
Q. As long as libraries receive local and federal support, why can’t they rely on those sources instead of state funds?
A. The amount of federal support New York’s libraries receive is determined by the amount of state support they receive. Any cut in state aid will generate significant cuts in federal library funds and threaten the library services New Yorkers rely on.
State funds support an infrastructure of library systems that provide cooperative, coordinated services to more than 6,300 local public, school, academic, and hospital libraries. Without the economies of scale provided by the library systems, local libraries would have to pay on average three to four times as much to maintain current services.
Q. How does the library community help education?
A. Libraries are essential partners in education. Strong libraries are an investment in tomorrow’s business leaders and workforce. Studies show that effective school libraries are positively correlated with higher levels of student achievement. This is true regardless of variables such as family income and class size.
• Studies in more than 12 states, including Colorado, Alaska, and Pennsylvania, show that school libraries play an undeniable role in improving student achievement and closing the achievement gap.
• The recent Court of Appeals decision on state funding of public schools recognized the connection between school libraries and learning; it urged the state to provide funding for up-to-date libraries as one important means of achieving equitable access to a sound basic education.
• Research studies show that library reading programs, particularly summer reading programs, enhance student achievement.
• Library toddler and preschool programs help to ensure that youngsters are ready to learn and achieve when they enter school.
• New Americans turn to public libraries for literacy programs that help them learn English and obtain the language skills they need to enter the job market.
• Libraries provide family literacy programs that enable adults to improve their reading and conversation skills.
• Academic libraries provide crucial research resources to college and university students, advanced students in grades 9 through 12, and teachers who need to keep up to date in their profession. |
