Yonkers Insider: New York State Assemblywoman MaryJane Shimsky 92nd District: Brown v. Board of Education Anniversary.

 

On May 17, 1954, the United States Supreme Court delivered its historic Brown v. Board of Education decision, leading to the racial desegregation of our public schools. The Supreme Court — in an opinion laced with some of the most moving rhetoric in its history — rejected a race-based caste system, and chose a better vision for America's future. On this day, let’s reflect on how much better we are as a country because of the Brown decision, while recognizing how much further we have to go to achieve the inclusion it anticipated. We must also, clear-eyed and resolutely, stare down the forces that would reject what Brown represents.

Seventy years after Brown v. Board of Education, we continue to work for equal access to a high-quality education in New York's public schools. We made two big strides in that direction over the last two years. In the 2023-34 budget, we fully funded public school Foundation Aid for the first time. This year, we funded an upcoming study to evaluate how the formula that determines Foundation Aid distribution can be made more equitable across all our school districts.