State Senate Majority Members Hold Hearing on Education Funding Formula [Spectrum News]

State Senator Tim Kennedy (D) and Democratic Majority Education Chair Senator Shelley Mayer hosted a discussion Friday in Buffalo about education funding for local school districts.

Stakeholders have been looking to get their fair share for more than a decade, and had a chance to make their voices heard. The discussion was the second of several listening sessions around the state.

Leaders say the foundation aid formula state lawmakers created more than a decade ago, which factors how much money districts get, hasn't been followed. 

"So, I think everyone is on the same page. We have districts that really have unique needs. Not every district is the same. And the state should take that into account.  And we think we need to reexamine the factors by which that money is distributed," said Mayer.

From Buffalo, the Senate majority takes its discussion to Syracuse later this month, followed by a handful of others across the state. Lawmakers will take that information when the new legislative session begins in January.