RESOLUTION
BY COUNCIL PRESIDENT COLLINS-BELLAMY, MAJORITY LEADER RUBBO, MAJORITY WHIP ROBINSON, MINORITY LEADER BREEN, COUNCILMEMBERS PINEDA-ISAAC, DIAZ, AND HODGES:
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A RESOLUTION REQUESTING NEW YORK STATE PASS LEGISLATION ALLOWING NECESSARY NON-PEDAGOGICAL SPACES TO BE ELIGIBLE FOR STATE AID FOR SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS
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WHEREAS, school districts in New York State rely on state building aid administered by the New York State Education Department and approved through the New York State Office of Facilities Planning to support the construction and renovation of school facilities; and
WHEREAS, state building aid is calculated in part based on the Maximum Cost Allowance (MCA), which establishes the reimbursable cost limit for school construction projects based on assigned Building Aid Units (BAUs); and
WHEREAS, current building aid policies do not assign Building Aid Units (BAUs) or generally provide reimbursement for parking facilities, including structured or underground parking associated with school construction projects; and
WHEREAS, many urban school districts face significant land constraints, limited available parcels, and high land acquisition costs that make traditional surface parking impractical or infeasible when constructing new school facilities; and
WHEREAS, in densely developed communities such as the City of Yonkers, structured or underground parking may be a reasonable and necessary component of school construction projects in order to maximize available land for instructional space, student recreation, and other educational purposes while ensuring adequate parking for faculty, staff, and visitors; and
WHEREAS, because parking facilities are not assigned Building Aid Units, the costs associated with constructing structured parking may be included within the overall project cost but are not reflected in the calculation of the Maximum Cost Allowance (MCA), placing urban school districts at a disadvantage when site conditions ne...
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