Historic Breakthrough in Albany: Transportation for Children K-6 Attending Private and Parochial Schools After 5pm

Rabbi Shiya Ostreicher (Agudath Israel of America), Assemblyman Dov Hikind, Assemblywoman Helene Weinstein, Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos, and Rabbi Shmuel Lefkowitz (Agudath Israel of America)

Assemblyman Dov Hikind (D-Brooklyn) and Assemblywoman Helene Weinstein (D-Brooklyn) announced today that New York State has accepted the responsibility for providing transportation after 5pm for children attending private and parochial schools in grades kindergarten through six. This amendment will also ensure that transportation services deliver children as close as possible to their homes.
 
“The new transportation amendment is a colossal accomplishment in terms of education, safety and financial relief,” said Assemblyman Hikind. “It never made sense to penalize yeshivas and children because they wanted more education. That was the wrong message. For years we fought to get equitable transportation for children whose parents elected to give them longer school days and additional education opportunities. This subsidized transportation is an historic breakthrough that will help our yeshivas, parents and our community. This is truly a milestone.”

“We’ve all worked very hard to make this happen,” said Assemblywoman Helene Weinstein. “Now all the hard work has paid off because it was right and just.”

The Assemblyman had the highest praise for the leaders of Agudath Israel of America for leading the charge for these changes in Albany. “Rabbi Shmuel Lefkowitz and Rabbi Shiya Ostreicher never stopped working alongside myself with Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos to ensure that these transportation changes would be made,” said Hikind. “And this remarkable accomplishment would not have been achieved without the support of Assembly Members Mike Simanowitz, Phillip Goldfeder, Steven Cymbrowitz, Catherine Nolan, and State Senator Martin Golden, as well as many other members of the Legislature.”