Congratulations! After months of effort on your part and the part of your state association, the state legislature has passed the education portion of the state budget. In the face of the largest proposed education aid reduction in state history, the legislature responded by passing one of the largest restorations on record. For the upcoming school year, over a billion dollars of the governor's proposed $1.4 billion cut is slated for reinstatement. School aid runs detailing restorations by district are available through your state legislators, the NYSSBA website or by calling NYSSBA's Governmental Relations department.
While we recognize that the change in voting date causes a number of logistical problems, as well as increased voter confusion, we need to also recognize the extraordinary nature of what has taken place. School districts and NYSSBA have correctly claimed for the past several months that the proposed cuts created a crisis that would decimate educational programs and escalate local tax rates. While still 28 days past the April 1st deadline, the legislature nonetheless responded in a dramatic fashion. No other state has received similar legislative support. Public education is one of only two areas restored in the state budget and it received the lion's share of that restoration. While we must ensure our communities understand that state aid could not be fully restored and does not address inflationary increases, the legislative effort to restore funding within a time period that allowed school districts to make use of that funding came at the expense of traditional political alliances. While we are often critical of government's approach to the fiscal needs of public education, we should also appreciate this unprecedented legislative response.
NYSSBA has been informed by legislative leaders that the governor may not veto the education portion of the state budget. We have also been assured that should such a veto take place, the legislature is unified and determined to override that veto. Based on this information, NYSSBA is confident that funds restored by the legislature will in fact be provided to districts. As districts reevaluate their budgets, we are mindful of the consequences of choosing to ignore the restored aid, either out of concern for the procedural problems, the uncertainty of receiving the funds or the likelihood of voter confusion. There is danger in that, however. First, if districts do not add in legislative restorations, our collective cries of the dire consequences of the proposed cuts will be perceived as disingenuous. We will have removed the incentive for the legislature to continue to stand up to the governor on behalf of public education throughout this session and into the next. We will have provided the impression that we will warehouse the aid and make legislators less likely to fight for restorations in what is expected to be as difficult a fiscal situation next year.
Two years ago the state legislature considered aid provided in early September to be a crisis for public education. They now recognize that even late April is extremely problematic. The legislature's tardiness causes severe difficulties. However, they have done the right thing, some at great personal and political expense. This situation will demand that they continue to be unified and determined in their support of public education. Districts making use of the additional funds to restore programs and lower local property tax projections provides legislators with the political support needed to sustain that effort through this year and next.
We have been outspoken critics of our state government throughout this crisis. NYSSBA's staunch advocacy and your ardent support are largely responsible for the legislature's willingness to go to extraordinary lengths in its attempt to protect public education from the effects of the state's fiscal crisis. I am grateful for your tireless efforts and extremely proud of what we are doing for our state's children this year. Our recognition of what has occurred thus far and our use of the restored funds that resulted from our efforts will set the stage for what remains to be done throughout the veto process and into next year.
The following is a synopsis of the legislature's approach to major aid categories:
Operating Aid, Gifted and Talented Aid, Operating Standards Aid and Academic Services Aid have been combined into the category of Operating Aid. This category has been reduced from 2.25% to 6.3% depending on a district's relative wealth. The legislature rejected the governor's proposal to include Special Education categories into Operating Aid. In some instances the governor's cuts to Operating Aid would have exceeded 8%.
BOCES Aid, Transportation Aid and Extraordinary Needs Aid were all fully restored. The legislature rejected the governor's plan to eliminate aid for BOCES administrative services and facilities. The proposal to eliminate BOCES as a separate category in future years was rejected.
Universal Pre-K and Class Size Reduction aid payments will be the same as last year.
Proposed changes to Building Aid were rejected, except that, for projects that did not have a certified general construction contract on file at the State Education Department on February 15th of this year, building aid would be held over until the 2004 state fiscal year.
Thank you once again for your successful effort to keep public education our state's highest legislative priority.
David Little
Director of Governmental Relations
New York State School Boards Association
24 Century Hill Drive, Suite 200
Latham, New York 12110-2125
Phone: (518) 783-0200
Fax: (518) 783-0211
david.little@nyssba.org
Visit the NYSSBA website at http://www.nyssba.org
Posted by sachauncey at May 1, 2003 09:42 PM