Thousands of CUNY students and teachers held a rally in the Bronx to push the state to increase resources to CUNY colleges in the 2021 state budget.

State lawmakers have until April 1 to approve the budget on time. Protestors say they want it to include funding for a piece of legislation called the “New Deal For CUNY.”

The new deal would decrease class sizes, give raises to adjunct faculty and lower tuition, which went up over $300 last school year.

Last July, CUNY laid off hundreds of part-time professors in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Protesters say that students of color, low-income students and other marginalized groups who attend CUNY schools are more likely to need resources, such as more academic counselors and better buildings that extra funding could provide.

Thousands of students enroll at the 25 CUNY public universities each year.

News 12 reached out to CUNY for a response.