More Candidates Decry Cuomo's Special Ed Veto; Akselrod Supports School Vouchers

State Senator David Storobin and Ben Akselrod, who will oppose Assemblyman Steve Cymbrowitz in the democratic primary, have joined the chorus to decry Governor Cuomo's veto of the Special Ed bill that would help Orthodox and other disabled children. It follows a joint press release by Assembly candidate Joseph Hayom, who is running as a republican against Helene Weinstein's, the bill's sponsor in Assembly, and Mitchell Tischler, who will running against Assemblyman Hikind in the democratic primaries.

State Senator Storobin's press release says that "school choice advocates were rebuffed last week when Governor Andrew Cuomo vetoed a bill that would assure children with disabilities are placed in appropriate programs." It notes that Senator David Storobin co-sponsored the bill. "The governor’s veto means that children with disabilities requiring school placement are more likely to be placed in a school that clashes with their personal faith and values," the press release states.


It's noteworthy that Akselrod, who is running on the democratic line, is even sharper than Storobin against the Governor of his own party, saying that he “turned a blind eye to special needs children in religious settings and private schools state wide.”

“Faith and values matter in education,” Storobin said. “As a state, we should cherish this and do all we can to make sure a child is not placed in a school environment contrary to the values they were raised with. This bill would benefit children of all backgrounds.”

“Jesuit schools are famous for preparing kids for college and instilling Catholic values,” Storobin said. “In yeshivas, children learn the Torah and their unique Jewish heritage. School choice is priceless, and I will fight for it at every turn.”

Storobin, though, is stopping short from calling for an override vote. When we receive an explanation for that, we will update this post to include it. Instead, Spokesman Steven Stites emailed to the OP that the "Senator plans to reintroduce the legislation. It passed both houses, so it shows there's bipartisan support, and it's a critical issue for families of faith."


Akselrod promises to fight for tuition tax credits in the assembly, and to fight to eliminate the Blaine Amendment to enable tuition voucher to cover the costs of private schooling.  

We should point out that meanwhile, the brunt of the critic came from the anti-establishment candidates, and it increasingly look like the establishment is willing to sell out the underprivileged kids and their families for general Yeshiva funding. This is contrary to the community's needs and values.

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