Senator Saland Secures $110,000 In Additional School Aid For Columbia County

Senator Steve Saland (R, C Poughkeepsie), Chair, Senate Education Committee, today announced that he has secured $110,000 in additional school aid for Columbia County in the 2005-06 State budget. The additional aid is based upon a comparison of the percentage increase received by each school district in the 41st Senate District as determined by the school runs provided with the adopted budget. Every school in the 41st Senate District has at some point been the recipient of this additional school funding.

The additional aid secured for Columbia County schools is as follows:

Kinderhook: $80,000

Germantown: $30,000

"Support for education has always been a top priority for me," said Senator Saland. "I am pleased that this funding will both assist our local districts while also mitigating potential increases in property taxes," said Senator Saland.

"Senator Saland continues to advocate for all children," said Daralene Jewell, Superintendent of Schools, Ichabod Crane Central School District. "His knowledge and understanding of the educational process ensures that students throughout New York State will have the opportunity for a quality academic program in a safe environment. We sincerely appreciate his on-going commitment to our community."

This funding is in addition to the 2005-06 Education budget legislation that provides $16.2 billion for schools statewide, an increase of $320 million more than the proposed Executive Budget. The budget increased Columbia County school aid by 7 %. The statewide average increase was 5.5%.