Assemblyman Berger Secures Another Year of Strong Support for Non-Public Schools in State Budget

The NYS Budget maintains $70 million in funding for security grants to protect students in non-public schools

Kew Gardens Hills – Assemblyman Sam Berger (D-Kew Gardens Hills) and a broad coalition of legislators have secured continued support for the Nonpublic School Safety Equipment (NPSE) grant program in the 2026 New York State budget. This year’s budget maintains funding for the program at $70 million to help meet the growing security needs of nonpublic schools across the state. Over fifty New York legislators signed on in support of this initiative to address the unprecedented security challenges these institutions face.

“With threats and hate crimes at our religious institutions on the rise, we must do more to keep children safe and secure as they learn,” said Assemblyman Sam Berger. “In a post-October 7th world, the legislature has a duty to prioritize protecting children and students from the rising threats of antisemitism, hate crimes, and violence. Our commitment to safety must be unwavering.”

The Nonpublic School Safety Equipment (NPSE) grant program is a streamlined grant for safety and security equipment used by more than 1,400 nonpublic schools serving approximately 400,000 students — roughly 15% of the state’s student population. The program was started in the FY 2013-14 budget at $5 million and has seen consistent increases, reaching $70 million in the latest budget cycle. According to NYPD hate crimes data, the total number of hate crimes surged by 16% in 2024 compared to 2023. From October 2023 to January 2024, there were 193 reported incidents of antisemitic hate crime—almost double the 100 reported during the same period the prior year. NYPD’s Hate Crime Task Force reported 12 more incidents in January 2024 than in January 2023.

“Security remains a major concern for our communities, and is especially critical at this time when faith-based crimes are at an all-time high,” said Sydney Altfield, Executive Director of Teach NYS. “This $70 million represents a big step in protecting more of our students, including those that attend Jewish, Islamic, and Catholic schools — and ensuring that financial burden of protecting them does not fall on our families.”

“The NPSE Grant has helped us upgrade lighting, electrical and other important security work to ensure the safety of the students in YCQ,” said Malka Fishman, Executive Director, Yeshiva of Central Queens. “We are very fortunate to be a recipient of the NPSE Grant and look forward to the expanded funding next year.” 

Nationally, the FBI reports that between 2018 and 2022 the number of reported hate crimes in schools and colleges nearly doubled. Recent incidents in New York City schools include swastikas and other hateful language graffitied on campuses. With nonpublic schools already spending thousands of dollars annually on security needs, the $70 million in funding will help keep families safe by allocating over $100 per child.