Senator Saland Secures $890,000 In Additional School Aid For Dutchess County

Senator Steve Saland (R,C Poughkeepsie), Chair, Senate Education Committee, today announced that he has secured $890,000 in additional school aid for Dutchess 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 Dutchess County schools is as follows:

Beacon $110,000

Millbrook $30,000

Wappingers $250,000

Arlington $200,000

Hyde Park $300,000

"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.

"This additional funding secured by Senator Saland arrives at the perfect time for Arlington," said Frank Pepe Jr., Superintendent, Arlington Central School District. "We are extremely pleased that this will allow us to add four teaching positions while avoiding a reliance on property taxpayers for this additional funding."

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. This year’s budget increased Dutchess County school aid by $5.5 million.