Sen. Alesi: School Aid Increases Great News For Monroe County

Senator Jim Alesi (R-Perinton) tonight announced that record increases in school aid for districts in Monroe County combined with triple property tax relief rebate checks means good news for taxpayers. Across the board, school districts saw double digit increases in aid in the 2007-08 state budget that will be passed beginning tonight.

"The end result tonight is what I, along with my Senate collegues, have been fighting for since the beginning of the budget process," said Senator Alesi. "Homeowners in Monroe County are drowning under some of the highest taxes in the nation and these increases in state aid to school districts as well as the inclusion of the Senate’s plan to triple property tax rebate checks will help them dramatically. I am pleased that our hard work and efforts paid off significantly for the residents of Monroe County. Not only will this go a long way in providing tax relief, but the students of Monroe County will benefit as well."

Below are the percent increases school districts in the 55th Senate District will receive:

"While it was a long, arduous process, the education portion of the budget that we will pass this evening is great news for Monroe County," said Senator Alesi. "I am, however, disappointed with other aspects of the budget, most notably, aid for the City of Rochester - once again, receiving far less municipal aid than Buffalo and Syracuse. The final numbers for school districts are a bright spot in a budget process that saw the entire Rochester delegation fighting for Monroe County right up until the very last minutes of the April 1 deadline. Taxpayers can look forward to receiving a property tax rebate check that will be triple what they received last year. And school districts can look forward to increased aid that will help them when drafting their final budgets in the coming weeks."

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