Legislative Forum
January 30, 2020
Many thanks to all who attended the Legislative Forum. Last night, 80 school district leaders and legislators shared great conversation about public education issues and the Executive Budget.
We appreciate the time and attention of the following State legislators who either came or sent staff members:
Senator Andrea Stewart-Cousins (Majority Leader)
Senator Shelley Mayer (Education Chair)
Senator Alessandra Biaggi
Senator David Carlucci
Senator Peter Harckham
Senator Susan Serino
Assemblymember Thomas Abinanti
Assemblymember David Buchwald
Assemblymember Sandra Galef
Assemblymember Steven Otis
Assemblymember Amy Paulin
Assemblymember Gary Pretlow
Highlights of the WPSBA Advocacy Agenda
Fund a transparent, updated Foundation Aid formula:
- The $504M increase in the Executive Budget is insufficient compared to the $1.5-$1.9B recommendations of the Regents and Educational Conference Board.
- The proposal to dissolve 10 expense-based aids into Foundation Aid significantly reduces transparency and predictability of school aid.
- The Foundation Aid formula needs to be updated to reflect current costs and demographic factors.
Reject Executive Budget proposals that push back costs onto school districts, including:
- Reducing building aid reimbursements by lowering the minimum building aid ratio.
- Capping aid-able operating expenses for transportation aid.
- Eliminating the 18.42% State share for room and board of students with severe disabilities.
Support Special Act School Districts:
- Ensure fiscal and programmatic stability of Special Act schools, which provide services to NY’s most challenged students.
- Permit sensible rate setting, reserve funds, and additional safety funding for Special Act public schools.
Focus on student mental health and school safety:
- Provide ongoing flexible funding for staffing, security and professional development related to mental health and safety.
- Avoid competition between districts for limited grant programs.
What you can do
- Give your legislators concrete examples of how these issues affect your district.
- Look for regional advocacy messages and resolutions from WPSBA and the Lower Hudson Education Coalition.
BE VISIBLE
BE VOCAL
SUPPORT PUBLIC EDUCATION!
All of the materials presented and distributed at the Legislative Forum are available
on our website
, including the presentation slides, Advocacy 2020 priorities list and the Legislative Toolkit.
