Ed Ra: The high cost of a delayed state budget

No surprise: The state budget is still late. At four weeks past the April 1 deadline, the insistent claim of a deal being “expected soon” offers little comfort to local governments and school districts struggling to plan responsibly in the face of Albany’s brazen dysfunction. While Democrats in the Capitol negotiate their priorities behind closed doors, communities across the state are left in limbo, including our own here in Nassau County.

School districts, in particular, are being forced to craft their budgets without knowing how much support they’ll receive from the state. This isn’t just frustrating — it’s deeply concerning. Without clear guidance, important programs could be cut or deserving schools left underfunded.

Unfortunately, this kind of dysfunction has become all too common under Gov. Kathy Hochul’s leadership. Local governments play by the rules, and hard-working families show up every day, yet Albany treats the budget deadline as a mere suggestion.

The delay is directly complicating school district planning. Most districts across the state were required to finalize their budgets by April 22, a deadline that has already passed. That means they’re moving forward without a full picture of their state aid, and are forced to make critical decisions about staffing and programming based on guesswork.

As Melinda Person, president of New York State United Teachers, warned earlier this month, “Time is running out — and our schools, students and educators deserve predictable, reliable funding that they can count on … timeliness matters.” She’s right. When districts need to hire a teacher or plan a special-education program, they need to know their funding in advance. Having to guess is unfair for districts and students, and leads to gaps in critical services and missed educational opportunities that could affect their long-term success.

Beyond the education sector, municipalities are also stuck in budget limbo. Every year, my colleagues and I advocate for Consolidated Local Street and Highway Improvement Program, or CHIPS, funding to ensure that our local highway and town departments have the necessary resources to repair our roads after harsh winters. With the delay in the budget, municipalities are in a holding pattern, unsure of what projects they can move forward with as summer approaches. Road construction season is short, and this delay pushes crucial repairs further out.

To make matters worse, inflation has driven up the cost of labor and materials, and last year’s failure to increase CHIPS funding has only compounded the challenge. The solution shouldn’t be to get better at swerving around potholes on our way to work every morning. Unrepaired roads put drivers at risk, increase the likelihood of costly accidents and vehicle damage and, most important, can hinder emergency responders when they’re needed most.

Nonprofit organizations are also in this budget standstill. Many rely on state grants to achieve their goals and fulfill their missions. Local food banks, shelters and health organizations depend on these resources to support vulnerable populations.

Without certainty on funding, they face mounting pressure to continue their work without clarity on how much they can count on, which undermines their ability to plan, hire staff and provide essential services to those in need. Instead of working toward solutions that address the state’s affordability crisis, Albany Democrats remain stuck on unrelated policy issues that could be discussed later in the session.

The budget should be focused on making New York more affordable and livable. Families and businesses are leaving for more affordable states, and who can blame them? Since Hochul took office in 2022, New York has failed to pass a state budget on time — not once. Yes, late budgets aren’t new, but each year we let the deadline slip further, we lower the standard just a little more. New Yorkers deserve better, and the state should demand better.

When you show up late to work, you get written up. When you’re late to school, there are academic consequences. When you miss a bill payment, there are penalties. So where’s the accountability for the Legislature? At the end of the day, it’s not lawmakers who suffer the consequences — it’s everyday New Yorkers like you.

The current path of reckless spending, missed deadlines and misplaced priorities is unsustainable. One-party rule in Albany continues to fail the very families Democrats claim to support. It’s time to stop playing politics and pass a responsible state budget.

Ed Ra represents the 19th Assembly District.