Download the print-ready PDF version of this letter (opens in a new tab)

Summary: The Solutions Not Suspensions (SNS) Coalition — joined by NASW-NY and over 100 other organizations statewide — is requesting a $50 million investment in New York’s FY2027-2028 executive budget to fund school climate improvement reforms and reduce reliance on exclusionary discipline (suspensions and expulsions) in New York State public schools.

In preparation for the crafting of the 2027–2028 fiscal year executive budget proposal, the Solutions Not Suspensions Coalition respectfully requests your continued commitment to prioritizing safe and supportive public schools across New York State. As communities struggle with affordability and children face exacerbated mental health challenges, New York State must invest in proven practices to ensure school systems and staff meet children and their families with holistic services and support.

The Solutions Not Suspensions Coalition proposes a $50 million investment in the FY2027-2028 executive budget to build upon the guidance and recommendations put forward by the New York State Education Department (NYSED) Safe Schools Taskforce.¹ The proposed investment would support school climate improvement reforms across the state, among the top five factors associated with school safety,² and accelerate the transition away from the overreliance on ineffective and harmful exclusionary discipline practices. This investment would help districts keep classrooms safe without leaving educators and school personnel to manage difficult moments alone, while ensuring students receive interventions that address the needs driving behavior.

Recent action in Buffalo shows why districts need support to make these changes proactively. The New York Attorney General’s 2026 Assurance of Discontinuance with Buffalo Public Schools (opens in a new tab),³ issued after findings of significant disparities in discipline enforcement, requires the district to strengthen policies, improve reporting, and expand restorative practices and staff training. The agreement points toward the kind of proactive support this budget request would make available statewide.

The SNS Coalition offers an initial outline for the use of these funds:

1. $2.6 million: Targeted technical assistance to support school districts, administrators, educators, and other school personnel in transforming school climate and improving student behavior intervention protocols. These funds would be provided through NYSED and include dedicated staff and a resource library. This funding would build upon effective technical assistance models in New York State such as the 21st Century Community Learning Centers Technical Assistance Resource Center model, which provides ongoing assistance to subgrantees to strengthen program quality and support academic, social-emotional, and school climate improvements in participating schools. Leveraging this best practice technical assistance model would structurally support a reduced reliance on suspensions and replace exclusionary discipline with developmentally appropriate and effective interventions.
2. $16.2 million: Expansion of existing classroom-facing professional development offerings through NYSED and professional unions to extend the reach and impact of best practice training including restorative practices, trauma-informed interventions, implementing the community schools strategy, and establishing safe and supportive school climates. There is longstanding precedent and structure for building upon educator training and skill development. For example, New York State United Teachers (NYSUT) has implemented an Education & Learning Trust (ELT) that offers continuing education to help educators build skills that bridge active classroom realities with state certification and professional learning requirements. As an approved sponsor for Continuing Teacher and Leader Education (CTLE), this structure could be expanded upon.
3. $31.2 million: Establishing direct grants for school districts to expand school climate transformation efforts statewide. Such grants could be used to strengthen data collection and analysis, revise codes of conduct and behavior intervention protocols, expand professional development on evidence-based intervention strategies, and build partnerships with local organizations to offer wraparound support for students and their families.⁴ There is ample evidence for the value of investing in school climate transformation, including NYSED's Supportive Schools Grant Program where schools can apply for up to $300,000 to implement school safety initiatives.⁵ NYC’s increased investments in the community school model has shown a 62% reduction in elementary community school crime and behavior incidents, driven largely by reductions in bullying and disruptive behavior.⁶ NYC Public Schools’ (NYCPS) discipline reporting shows that suspensions overall have been declining since 2015, with an 8% decline in the first half of the 25-26 school year alone, following changes to the Chancellor’s Regulations and other system changes, including increased investment in restorative practices, peer mediation, in-school counseling, and referrals to external mental health providers.⁷

Expert organizations, including the New York State Psychiatric Association and the American Psychological Association,⁸ have recognized the need for school discipline reform, citing substantial evidence that exclusionary practices can have harmful academic, social, emotional, and mental health consequences for children and adolescents. When exclusion remains a routine and readily available response, educators and school personnel are left with fewer tools, students go without the supports they need, and challenges persist unchanged inside classrooms. The disparate impact of suspensions on students of color, LGBTQ+ students, students with disabilities, and students from low-income backgrounds has also been widely documented and persists despite any seeming reductions in use.⁹

With the dedicated state investment outlined above, New York can help districts replace harmful system-wide discipline practices with the school climate supports that keep students connected to learning, give educators and administrators support in difficult moments, help classrooms remain safe and stable, and strengthen school communities across the state.

Signers

Organizations

• 504 Democratic Club
• 914United
• Action for a Better Community, Inc.
• Advocates for Children of New York
• Ali Forney Center
• Alianza for Opportunity
• Alliance for Quality Education
• Astor Services
• At the Table
• Back to Basics Outreach Ministries, Inc.
• Big Brothers Big Sisters of Erie, Niagara & the Southern Tier
• Black Child Development Institute – New York State
• Black Diamonds Academic Success, Inc.
• Broadway Advocacy Coalition (BAC)
• Building Purpose Inc.
• CASA of New York State
• CASA-NYC
• CASES
• Center for Community Alternatives (CCA)
• Center for Family Representation, Inc.
• Children's Home of Wyoming Conference
• Children's Institute
• Children's Rights
• Children's Rights Society
• Citizen Action of New York
• Citizens' Committee for Children of New York
• City of White Plains Youth Bureau
• Coalition for Asian American Children and Families
• Committee for Hispanic Children & Families (CHCF)
• Dignity in Schools Campaign of New York
• DRUM – Desis Rising Up & Moving
• ECE on the Move
• EDceptional, Inc.
• Elite Scholars, LLC
• Elite Scholarship Foundation, Inc
• Erie County Restorative Justice Coalition
• Families Together in New York State
• Family Resource Network
• Freedom Agenda
• Girls for Gender Equity
• Greater Rochester Black Agenda Group
• Hope's Door
• HOPE585
• Incarcerated Nation Network
• Indivisible Brooklyn
• Interfaith Alliance of Rochester
• Intergenerational Change Initiative
• Justice for Families, LTD
• Katal Center for Equity, Health, and Justice
• Kings Against Violence Initiative (KAVI)
• Lawyers For Children
• Legal Action Center
• Liftoff Western New York
• Lois Bronz Children's Center
• Long Island Families Together
• Long Island Latino Teachers Association
• Long Island Strong Schools Alliance
• Metropolitan Asian Deaf Association
• NAACP New York State Conference
• NAACP Oneida County - Utica Branch
• NAMI Westchester, Inc.
• National Alliance on Mental Illness of New York State
• New Hour for Women and Children
• New Tomorrow
• New York Alliance for Developmental Disabilities
• New York Civil Liberties Union
• New York Communities for Change
• New York State Council of Churches
• New York State Psychological Association
• North American Climate, Conservation and Environment (NACCE)
• Northern Regional Center for Independent Living, Inc.
• NYC Coalition for Educational Justice
• NYS Coalition for Children's Behavioral Health
• Pachamama Alliance of the Rochester Area
• Parents Supporting Parents NY
• Partners in Restorative Initiatives
• Partnership for the Public Good
• Peaceprints of WNY
• Pioneering Possibilities and Company™
• PowHer New York
• Program Design and Development, LLC
• Purelegacee, Inc
• Rasur Foundation International
• RiseRiseWell Community Services
• Schuyler Center for Analysis and Advocacy
• Silent Cry Inc
• Spring Valley NAACP
• Student Advocacy, Inc.
• Subomi's Children Corporation
• Syracuse Onondaga County NAACP
• The Center for Teen Empowerment
• The Children's Agenda
• The Circle Keepers
• The Gathering for Justice
• The Gault Center: Defenders of Youth Rights
• The Legal Aid Society
• The National Association of Social Workers – New York Chapter
• The Prisoners' Brain Trust
• The Public Science Project
• The STEM Alliance
• Together We Can Resource Center
• Trinity Church NYC
• United Way of New York State & 211 New York Inc.
• Urban Youth Alliance
• We Are Revolutionary
• WESPAC Foundation, Inc.
• Westchester Children's Association
• Westchester Library System
• Westchester Women's Agenda
• Western New York Law Center
• Westhab Inc.
• YA-YA Network
• Yonkers Coalition for Youth
• Young Invincibles
• Youth Represent
• Youth Shelter Program of Westchester
• YWCA White Plains and Central Westchester
• Zone 126

Individuals

• Abagael Cheng, Queens
• Adrianne Easley-Brown, Erie
• AJ Cho, Monroe
• Alison Fox, Columbia
• Alex Stevens, Kings
• Allister Layne, Rockdale
• Amanda L. Frost, Albany
• Amanda Lawson, Columbia
• Amy Cruz, Columbia
• Ana Pilar Ramos Benitez, Monroe
• Andrea Castellano, Queens
• Andrea Ortiz, Kings
• Andrew Martinez, Queens
• Angel Gray, Westchester
• Angela Colón-Rentas, Monroe
• Antoinette, Orange
• Aqueelah Sumpter, Erie
• Audrey Lewors, Suffolk
• Aviva Lehman, Westchester
• Barbara Brody, Monroe
• Barbara Gorski, Monroe
• Barbara Harrison, Tompkins
• Belkis Poche, New York
• Beth Ezrin, Nassau
• Beverly Neufeld, Westchester
• Brandon Washington, Westchester
• Bryony Romer, Kings
• Caitlin Cahill, New York
• Caitlyn Passaretti, New York
• Candice Lucas, Monroe
• Carmen Torres, Monroe
• Caryl Svendsen Deiches, Suffolk
• Casey Mallory, Monroe
• Chimere Ezuma, Westchester
• Chrissy Miller, Monroe
• Christin Babcock, Monroe
• Christine Rossman, Dutchess
• Claire Hurst, New York
• Cynthia A Butterworth, Monroe
• Cynthia Norris, Monroe
• Dannielle McCabe, Albany
• David Bloomfield, Kings
• Deborah Simmons, Bronx
• Debra Bullard, Monroe
• Demetria J Frampton, Bronx
• Denise G Ham, Suffolk
• Diane Tanner, Monroe
• Donna Robin Lippman, New York
• Dr. James J. Ross, Monroe
• Dr. Lori Jeanne Peloquin, Monroe
• E Erbland, Monroe
• Eamonn Scanlon, Monroe
• Ebony, Monroe
• Eleanor Cotter, Westchester
• Elida Graves, Bronx
• Ellen Kennedy, Erie
• Elisabeth Ortiz, Monroe
• Elizabeth Dufort, Albany
• Elizabeth Maxwell, Monroe
• Elz Cuya Jones, New York
• Erin Lourie, Saratoga
• Eva Wood, Monroe
• Faith Tyler, Seneca
• Gabriella Nanna, Westchester
• Gabrielle Kostrzewski, Erie
• Gail Berkes, Monroe
• Gary Domenico, Monroe
• George Warren, Monroe
• Giselle Ayala, Westchester
• Greg Morris, Westchester
• Guillermo Oquendo, Monroe
• Harold Watson, Greene
• Harry Mikkleson, Suffolk
• Heather Brumberg MD, MPH, FAAP, Westchester
• Heather Roman, New York
• Holly Barrett, Monroe
• Hope Newton, Bronx
• Ira Weissman, Putnam
• Jacalyn Cull, Oneida
• Jah Daly, New York
• Jean Gardy Vilamar, Bronx
• Jennifer Banister, Monroe
• Jennifer Canning, Monroe
• Jeri Dube, Monroe
• Jeritza Acevedo, Queens
• Jerry Rivers, Nassau
• Jesse Lenney, Monroe
• Jill Nicholas, Monroe
• Jim Isenberg, Westchester
• Joan Spencer, Columbia
• Joanna Brown, Orange
• Joanne Amorosi, Westchester
• Joe Calabrese, Monroe
• Jordan Cormier, Mount Vernon
• Joseph Simson, Monroe
• Julianne M. Baumann, Greene
• Julio L. Rivera Sr., Albany
• Justin Philipps, Licking
• Kaitlyn Wescott, Chautauqua
• Karen "Dr. K" Baptiste, Bronx
• Karina Vattana MD, Monroe
• Kate Permut, Westchester
• Katherine Diaz, Greene
• Katy Faivre, Putnam
• Kayla Hendrickson, Putnam
• Kerry De Luca, Albany
• Kerry King, Westchester
• Kim Wolfe, Monroe
• Kristen French, Monroe
• Langston McFadden, Monroe
• Lanisha Moyston, Bronx
• Laurie O'Reilly, Putnam
• Laurie Rivera, Albany
• Leah Klehr, Monroe
• LeAnne, Delaware
• LeRoi Armstead, Dutchess
• Linda Sargent, Monroe
• Lisa Alexander, Greene
• Lisa Hiley, Monroe
• Lissette Almonte, Bronx
• Lucia, Kings
• Lutonya Russell-Humes, Westchester
• Lydia Rivera, Monroe
• MA Harisiadis, Bronx
• Margaret Orfitelli, Monroe
• Marilyn Rosen, Monroe
• Marsha Dumka, Monroe
• Martha Yergeau, Westchester
• Martin McDonald, Westchester
• Martin Melkonian, Nassau
• Mary Staropoli, Monroe
• Mary Sutton, Monroe
• Maureen McCarthy, Essex
• Maya Tellman, Kings
• Megan Penderleith, Columbia
• Melissa Joy, Monroe
• Mia Greco, New York
• Michael and Lynn Mordenga, Monroe
• Michael Madden, Rockland
• Michael Poole, Kings
• Michelle Smith-Carrigan, Schenectady
• Molly McNulty, Monroe
• Mr Five Mualimm-ak, New York
• Mr. Dale D'Amico, New York
• Ms. Perquida, Bronx
• Ms. Tracie Adams, Monroe
• Naishah Brown Ebanks, Monroe
• Nancy Fortunato, New York
• Nataija (Grace) K. Ridley, Monroe
• Natasha Lifton, Kings
• Nena Lagrima, Monroe
• Nicole Maye, Bronx
• Odin Adeler, Queens
• Omobonike Odegbami, Oneida
• Padme Nina Livingstone, Monroe
• P'aja Burks-Mataji, Monroe
• Pamela Krimsky, Ulster
• Paul Ghenoiu, New York
• Qutisha Britt, New York
• Rachael Nevins, Kings
• Rafael Villafane, Bronx
• Raine Jane Reilly, New York
• Rangsal Ruangsuwana, Monroe
• Ravin Williams, Westchester
• Rebecca, Kings
• Rev. Martha Koenig Stone, Monroe
• Richard George Breusch, Suffolk
• Robert Friedman, Kings
• Ronald Brown, Boulder
• Rosemary Varga, Monroe
• Sandra Friedman, Kings
• Saniyah Brinney, Westchester
• Seneca Hollenbeck, Monroe
• Shalinda Bollar, Monroe
• Shamika D Fusco, New York
• Shannon Mullin, Monroe
• Sharon Abreu, Washington State
• Sharon Longyear, Ulster
• Sid Kivanoski, Kings
• Soraya Shri-Pathman, Kings
• Steven Sandman, Dutchess
• Sue Staropoli, Monroe
• Sue Wyatt, Monroe
• Susan Carter, Monroe
• Susan Gibson, Wayne
• Susan Henderson, Suffolk
• Susan Peters, Suffolk
• Tariqah Mills, Suffolk
• Taylor, Broome
• Terrance Johnson, Kings
• Terri Hargrave MD, Onondaga
• Tess O'Donoghue, New York
• Theresa Diterichs, Westchester
• Toyin Anderson, Monroe
• Vanessa Kaye Watson, Westchester
• Vanessa Lake Gee, Herkimer
• Varlene Brisard, Monroe
• Veronika Mourgides, Monroe
• Victoria Robertson, Monroe
• Virginia E. Gordon, Monroe
• Virginia Wade, Monroe
• Wanda Gonzalez, New York
• Will Lawrence-Paine, Ulster
• Yes, Westchester
• Yvette K. Stone, Suffolk