New York to work with Gates Foundation to 'reimagine' schools: governor
(Reuters) - New York will work with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to "reimagine" the state's school system in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, part of a broader reform of society, Governor Andrew Cuomo told a daily briefing on Tuesday.
Cuomo also pushed back against comments by U.S. President Donald Trump, who in an interview with the New York Post dismissed the idea of giving federal funds to states financially crippled by the crisis, saying it would amount to bailing out Democratic governors who had mismanaged their states.
Calling on Trump to take a non-political approach, Cuomo said blocking funds to states hit hardest by the pandemic would prove to be "self-defeating" because it would lead to gridlock in Congress and hold back key engines of economic growth.
"If you starve the states, how do you expect states to fund this entire reopening plans," said Cuomo, who has estimated New York was facing a $10 to $15 billion budget shortfall. "If you go down this path of division you will defeat all of us."
Cuomo also spoke about rebuilding the healthcare system so it can better handle future crises and laid out a broad vision for improving society, noting reforms made after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks and Hurricane Sandy in 2012.
"We want to build back better," Cuomo said.
Cuomo said New York would work with the foundation of Microsoft Corp co-founder Bill Gates and his wife as part of an effort to "reimagine" education including through the better use of technology. He did not provide specifics on that cooperation.
New York's education system, like others in the country, has struggled to teach children remotely, especially those in poorer areas without access to the internet or computers.
As hospitalizations and deaths have trended lower in recent weeks, Cuomo has turned his attention to reopening the state. On Monday he provided an outline for which industries and regions might get back to work first.
(reporting by Nathan Layne in Wilton, Connecticut and Rajesh Kumar Singh in Chicago; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and David Gregorio)
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