Hochul refuses to jump on chance to help neediest NY students, critics gripe but she blames Trump

Gov.Kathy Hochul is refusing to jump at the chance to help some of the state’s neediest students obtain crucial scholarships, critics gripe — but she’s laying the blame on President Trump.Under a Republican-led new federal tax-credit scholarship program that takes effect next January, taxpayers in participating states will be eligible to receive a tax credit of up to $1,700 for the cash contributions they donate to certain scholarship-granting organizations.The donations are then used to grant scholarships to students at private and public elementary and secondary schools located within their states.

In New York, such donations run into the hundreds of millions of dollars.Eligibility for scholarships are limited to students whose family income is below 300% of their area median income.New York students can’t benefit unless the governor agrees for the state to opt into the program.“Kathy Hochul is taking opportunities away from New York children, plain and simple,” said Republican gubernatorial hopeful Bruce Blakeman, also Nassau County executive on Long Island.“By refusing to opt into this program, Hochul is blocking access to tutoring, test preparation, transportation, and tuition assistance for New York students, sending education dollars to other states, and telling New York families they get nothing,” Blakeman said.He said Hochul’s potential refusal would be especially a blow to Catholic schools and yeshivas that educate tens of thousands of students while grappling with rising costs and declining enrollment.He also pointed out the program does not divert taxpayer funding to public schools.The tax-credit scholarship program was included in the budget bill approved last year by the Republican-led Congress and Trump.But Hochul’s office said the governor simply still has not yet made a decision on whether to join the program and is awaiting more guidance from the Trump administration.“The governor is open to any proposals that will support ou...