Fixing the subway will be a major election issue this year, and rightly so. The subway is a lifeline allowing people of all income levels to get around and enables New York to be a vibrant, world-class city.
But another economic lifeline might not get the same attention in a race that will set the agenda for the next four years. The colleges of the City University of New York, many of which lead national rankings in terms of moving low-income students into the middle class, play a similar role
Yet the state budget, which includes $800 million for a subway “action plan” (half-funded by the city), shortchanged CUNY—which has seen per-student state investment in its senior colleges fall by 18% since 2008, accounting for inflation.
Transit advocates have characterized the Metropolitan Transportation Authority funding in the state budget as “life support” for a system that in fact needs a far greater infusion of resources—$27 billion just to replace antiquated signals. They have also said the budget lacks a credible plan and a sufficient revenue stream to modernize the transit system.