Galway Central School District Superintendent Shannon Shine and Director of Curriculum, Instruction, Assessment Brita Donovan joined chief school officers and Board of Education members from the 31 school districts in the Washington-Saratoga-Warren-Hamilton-Essex BOCES supervisory area to thank elected officials for their past support and advocate for education funding.
Education leaders in Warren, Washington, Saratoga, Hamilton, and Essex counties are calling on legislators to:
- Fund and Adjust the Foundation Formula. The Foundation Aid formula was designed prior to the “great recession” and tax cap, and since that time, school districts have seen a notable increase in the Free and Reduced Rate for School Lunch. School leaders are asking the legislature to adjust the weighting factor for Free and Reduced Lunch to reflect large increases in this population. In addition, districts are advocating to maintain the “SAVE Harmless” provision, which is important for districts like LGCSD. Many districts have lost enrollment, however, the enrollment decrease is generally not sufficient to further decrease staffing.
- Increase the $30,000 threshold on BOCES Career and Technical (CTE) programs. The existing state aid formula for shared CTE programs was established in 1992 and has not been updated since that time. The average salary of a CTE teacher is now $65,000, and education leaders are calling for legislators to provide 100% aidability.
- Allow school districts with 51-100 or more employees to continue to participate in an experience rated Health Care Consortium or Trust. This will save school districts, and taxpayers, hundreds of thousands of dollars.
- Raise the Building Aid threshold for Small Capital Projects. Current law allows school districts to be reimbursed for base year capital outlay expenses for one project each year that has a total cost of $100,000 or less without being subject to the lengthy amortization schedule that otherwise exists. The threshold amount of $100,000 was established in 2002. By raising the threshold amount to $250,000, districts could make critical capital improvements in a more timely manner and receive state aid much faster. This would also save the state money on interest payments.
The Chief School Officers also recognized two outstanding business partners – Adirondack Studios based in Argyle and Camp Echo Lake of Warrensburg – for the positive impact they have had on students.
To read more about the event please click below:
Post Star article
Saratogian article
