The New York State budget provides an unprecedented windfall for New York City schools — an additional $1.3 billion — but no one should consider it a gift.

Great environmental strides have been made since the first Earth Day was celebrated 51 years ago. And now the moment to take another great stride forward has come.

The city's Panel for Education Policy refused to continue standardized testing for preschoolers for admission to the city’s gifted and talented programs, opening the door for reshaping the program and the criteria for admission and taking a crucial step toward addressing inequities in our segregated school system.

Now is not the time for the state to withhold funding that could help New York City students who have been traumatized by the life-changing effects of the pandemic. The governor’s executive budget proposes to reduce needed state school aid and then fill the gap with part of the $2.1 billion that New York State received for schools in the federal stimulus bill. Shortchanging our students now will have long-term consequences for them later.

Betsy DeVos, who championed policies aimed at destroying public education and diverting public funds to private schools, will likely be remembered as the worst U.S. education secretary ever.

The UFT’s vigilance won deferred wages for work our members did as far back as 2009, even as the city sought to renege on its promise to deliver them, and a no-layoff guarantee for this school year.