New York State United Teachers brought its "Fund our Future" statewide bus tour to the Rochester area today.
NYSUT is calling for a $2.1 billion increase in state aid in the budget, most of that in the form of Foundation Aid -- the set amount districts get from the state.
The union says the state still owes over 400 districts more than $3.4 billion in Foundation Aid from the Campaign for Fiscal Equity lawsuit.
Andy Pallotta, President of NYSUT says they've heard the same message from districts around the state.
“What we could do with the money that is owed to us. A lot of it has to do with social workers and mental health needs. There is such a crisis in education at this point,” he said.
Pallotta says the Fund Our Future bus tour aims to educate people about Foundation Aid, and gain support from legislators around the state.
“It becomes the budget battle of the century. We are going make sure that no one doesn't know what Foundation (Aid) is, and how short the state is on funding it," he said.
The union says in order to fully fund public schools, in addition to other state services, it supports new taxes on billionaires and ultra-millionaires.