On Wednesday, Governor Andrew Cuomo delivered his fourth State of the State address to outline his plan for 2014, and reflect on 2013. Economic growth and equality in the public school system are just some of the issues Cuomo hopes to resolve in the coming year. During his speech, Governor Cuomo also mentioned his plans to legalize medical marijuana for patients with cancer and other severe illnesses. He said it’s time for New York to join the 20 other states already allowing medical marijuana. Cuomo is expected to issue an executive order to allow the medical marijuana legislation. In addition to allowing medical marijuana, Governor Cuomo also touched on education. He commended certain school districts for their ability to implement full day pre-kindergarten programs. He hopes to establish a statewide full day pre-kindergarten program. The Governor also wants to provide schools with the best technology to help students learn. He said the differing levels of technology at schools across the state is unacceptable. The governor summarized a new teacher excellence program he plans to implement. In the program, teachers will be eligible for $20,000 worth of performance pay through a performance bonus program.
