Senator Elijah Reichlin-Melnick Cosponsors Bill to Increase Funding For Local Schools

New City, NY - Senator Elijah Reichlin-Melnick has signed on as a cosponsor to S3461, a bill introduced by Sen. Jeremy Cooney (D-Rochester) that creates a floor for state Foundation Aid funding that would ensure local area schools are getting at least 70% of the funding owed to them by the State of New York. Currently, local school districts receive only a fraction of the state Foundation Aid that the districts are entitled to receive. The Ossining Union Free School District is one of the most harmed districts from the state’s failure to fund Foundation Aid, and typically receives less than 50% of the aid it is entitled to from the state.

Senator Elijah Reichlin-Melnick said: “I am proud to co-sponsor S3461 which would ensure school districts are provided at least 70% of funding owed to them by the State of New York. This new 70% floor for Foundation Aid funding would bring over $39 million dollars in funding home to our local schools - funding that our schools have long been cheated out of by a failure of the state to fund Foundation Aid at appropriate levels. I applaud my colleague Senator Cooney for introducing this bill and I hope many of my Senate colleagues will join me in supporting its passage.”

Dr. Raymond Sanchez, Superintendent of Ossining Union Free School District said: “The Ossining School District has long faced challenges with the foundation aid formula adequately reflecting the true needs of our community. Currently, Ossining receives less than 50% of the full foundation aid amount, which threatens programs like pre-k, science courses and advanced placement. We applaud Senator Reichlin-Melnick and his colleagues for introducing legislation to establish a floor of 70% in Foundation Aid to reduce disparity in funding between School districts. This is crucial to ensure adequate funding is available to support our students.”

Dr. Ray Giamartino, Superintendent of East Ramapo Central School District said:

“We are excited and truly appreciative that Senator Reichlin-Melnick has been overt in his advocacy of and support for educational equity. By reforming and reframing the current foundation aid model to provide a floor of 70% to school districts, such a model would garner the East Ramapo Central School District upwards of over $5M and begin to rightly level the financial, and ultimately the academic and social-emotional playing field for the most underserved. Such ability would allow the district to absolutely afford the very services our students need. It would further provide an overt opportunity for increased equitable access to programs and services the district lacks due to the sheer inability to afford some of the very services necessary to educate and supplementally support the development of the whole child.”