GOP gubernatorial hopeful Sen. John DeFrancisco blasted Gov. Cuomo on Tuesday, saying he failed to release most of $2 billion in school funding, some of which could be used for safety measures.
The administration, however, says the funds that voters approved through a bond act nearly four years ago can only be released after schools apply for the money.
The state regularly processes applications and only has 10 outstanding before the review board that Cuomo controls, his office said. Both sides agree only $400 million has been spent.
“Today I found out that after four years from the date the bond act was passed there’s approximately $400 million, a very small percentage of the money, that’s either been approved or got out the door,” DeFrancisco said.
The Syracuse state senator said one superintendent in Newburgh told him he had an application in for several years.
“This particular superintendent was saying that he had a video camera proposal in and he just coudn’t get it approved,” DeFrancisco said. “He’s just waiting and waiting and waiting.”
While DeFrancisco put the blame on Cuomo, saying his administration is either “incompetent” or waiting to release the money during his re-election, Cuomo’s staff said it’s the Senate-controlled State Education Department that’s responsible for the backlog.
They also denied DeFrancisco’s claim that 250 school districts across the state are waiting for the money because Cuomo’s people won’t release it.
“DeFrancisco is either a liar intent on politicizing every part of state government, or he didn’t read the bill he voted for,” Cuomo spokesman Rich Azzopardi said.
“These funds are part of the State Education Department budget and its SED – an agency that is controlled by a Board of Regents appointed by the legislature — that vets these projects. We agree that this process should be moving faster and we urge the senator to make his appointees do so.”
The review board awarding the funds has approved 427 plans for projects covering 322 school districts and 20 special education schools, Azzopardi said.