Schools in New York will remain closed for another two weeks, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Friday, as the number of deaths related to COVID-19 saw its largest jump in a single day since the disease was first diagnosed in the state nearly a month ago.
Schools were scheduled to resume classes next Wednesday, but Cuomo said Friday that, given the trajectory of the disease, he wanted to keep students out of the classroom.
“I have to reassess because April 1 is just in a couple of days, and I believe the schools should remain closed,” Cuomo said. “I don't do this joyfully, but I think when you look at where we are and you look at the numbers of cases still increasing it only makes sense to keep schools closed.”
New York will continue to waive a requirement that schools be open for at least 180 days during any academic year during that time, Cuomo said, meaning the days won’t count against them in securing certain funds from the state.
But funding for those schools could be in jeopardy regardless, Cuomo said.
Legislation recently approved by Congress to aid states in their response to the pandemic won’t do enough to cure the state’s fiscal problems in the immediate future, Cuomo said. With a hole in the state’s budget, education aid may be on the chopping block, he said.
“When they didn’t give the state funding, all they did was cut the education budget for the state of New York,” Cuomo said. “We’re going to have to cut education aid because that’s the number one expense.”
Education advocates were critical of the remarks. Jasmine Gripper, the executive director of the Alliance for Quality Education, said the state should impose higher taxes on the ultra-wealthy in this year’s state budget rather than reduce funding for schools.
“Education funding isn’t a piggy bank you can just break into any time you need extra cash,” Gripper said. “Education funding is an investment in children and their potential.”
The state Board of Regents has recommended that Cuomo and the state Legislature increase education aid this year by more than $2 billion, which is unlikely. They’ve made similar suggestions in recent years, but none have been adopted in full.
Cuomo hasn’t been shy, in recent days, of lashing out against members of Congress, who approved a second bill Friday to provide relief for individuals, businesses, and governments during the pandemic. He's said the legislation will provide minimal aid directly to the state.
He’s asked federal lawmakers to commit, in future legislation, to a significant infusion of cash into the state’s coffers, citing New York’s high number of positive COVID-19 cases.
As of Friday morning, 44,635 people had tested positive for COVID-19 in New York. Of those, 6,481 have required hospitalization and 1,583 have been in the intensive care unit.
Perhaps the most striking number from Friday’s briefing was the number of deaths related to COVID-19 in New York. The final tally Friday was 519, an increase of 134 over Thursday. That’s the largest jump in a single day since the disease came to New York.
Cuomo said the state is still expecting to need more hospital beds and ventilators than are currently available. He said he’s planning to ask President Donald Trump on Friday to approve four more temporary hospital facilities, each of which would house 1,000 beds,
He’s proposing those facilities to be set up at the New York Expo Center in the Bronx, Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens, the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal in Brooklyn, and the College of Staten Island on Staten Island. The Javits Center was already chosen in Manhattan.
“That would give us coverage all across the downstate area with proximate facilities to every location downstate, and frankly is the best plan we can put together and execute in this timeline,” Cuomo said.