Senator, School Officials Discuss State Fiscal Crisis

Senator outlines impact of proposed reductions, seeks suggestions from school districts

WATERTOWN (November 14, 2008)—More than 40 officials from school districts throughout the 48^th Senate District met with state Sen. Darrel J. Aubertine this afternoon to discuss the impact of our state’s fiscal crisis on schools before he heads to Albany for a special session on Tuesday.

"The governor has made his proposals and those proposals included mid-year school aid cuts," Sen. Aubertine said. "I thought it was important that the school districts have an opportunity to voice their concerns. The meeting went extremely well. Everyone recognizes that our state is in a fiscal crisis, but what I heard is that the districts would like an opportunity to act deliberately for next year, not rush to decisions in the middle of this school year."

The Senator has consistently expressed his concern that cuts to school aid would likely result in a tax shift, passing the states troubles down to the local level. The proposal from Gov. David A. Paterson would reduce aid to school districts in Oswego, Jefferson and St. Lawrence counties by an average of about 3.1 percent, with no school district in line for a hit greater than 5.99 percent. Central and Northern New York would fare better under the governor’s proposal than downstate areas like Long Island where many schools are slated to receive the maximum 10 percent reduction.

"The silver lining in all of this is that our state has no other option but improve the way it does business," Sen. Aubertine said. "The administrators and officials today offered a number of possible changes they would like to see implemented, from consolidating school district administration to cutting the bureaucracy that monitors our districts. However, what I heard most and what I’ve been a proponent of for years, is that our schools need mandate relief. Education is not a one-size-fits-all proposition and we need to give our local administrators and elected school boards the latitude they need to provide a quality education and save money for the taxpayer."

Representatives from 30 school districts with students in Oswego, Jefferson, and St. Lawrence counties, as well as representatives from the St. Lawrence and Jeff-Lewis Boards of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES) took part in the discussion, which was held in the first floor conference room of the Dulles State Office Building.