Marcellino Requires Classroom Expenditures On School District Report Cards

Senator Carl L. Marcellino announced today that the Senate has passed his legislation, Senate Bill 607-A which requires school districts to include the percentage of its budget spent on classroom expenses in its school district report card.

New York State school districts lead the nation with an average classroom expenditure number of 68% according to First Class Education, a national group seeking to increase the amount of dollars spent in the classroom. Classroom expenses include curriculum development and supervision, research, planning and evaluation, as well as inservice training, teaching and programs for children with disabilities to name a few.

"Parents, taxpayers, and anyone interested deserve to know as much detail about their school district as possible," Senator Marcellino said. "My School Audit Act provided the mechanism to uncover wasteful double-dipping and cases of school finance fraud. This legislation is the next step to help taxpayers maintain faith that when it comes to school finances, guaranteeing that 2+2 still equals 4."

This legislation provides an increased level of accountability through the disclosure of the percentage of a school district’s budget that actually makes its way into the classroom.

"This is a positive tool for school districts because it shows that the districts are putting the tax dollars of the overburdened taxpayer where they belong -- in the classroom, for the students. Educating our children should always be the top priority," Senator Marcellino concluded.