Senator John W. Mannion Outlines Record $1.1B in School Funding for Local Schools and Expansion of Full Day PreKindergarten

SYRACUSE, NY – Senator John W. Mannion (D-Geddes) today visited Park Hill School to outline the record $1.1B in education funding for the 50th Senate District included in the recently enacted state budget. 

The budget also provides for an expansion of up to ten new full-day prekindergarten programs in the 50th District serving more than 800 students.

“I ran for office to fix our broken school funding formula and to make sure students and teachers have the resources they need to succeed - this budget accomplishes those goals” said Senator Mannion. “We have delivered a record $1.1 billion in funding for school districts in the 50th Senate District that includes an expansion of full day prekindergarten that could benefit more than 800 kids. I spent nearly three decades in the classroom and I know the challenges when budgets get tight. This spending plan is a policy statement that education is a priority and the old, unfair, and broken, way of approaching school funding is quickly going away.”

Dr. Donna DeSiato, Superintendent of the East Syracuse Minoa Central School District said, “We are so grateful for Senator Mannion’s advocacy in securing record state funding for education, which will allow the district to build upon its successes in ensuring that all students have access to robust and multi-disciplinary learning experiences.

ESM was among the earliest STEM Ecosystems created in the country; the continuum of learning ensures that we can begin preparing our students for college and the workforce from the time they are in Pre-K, with an emphasis on pathways to success that are rooted in the individual STEM career interests of our students.

Park Hill- and the entirety of this district - is evidence of what can be done when we invest fully in education and our young people, and we are grateful to have the Senator in our corner.”

The budget also provides a framework for fully funded Foundation Aid within three years - a significant and long overdue reform. For 2021-2022, schools in the 50th Senate District average a nearly nine percent year-over-year increase in funding. 

New York State is also providing $105 million to expand four-year-old full-day prekindergarten. Funding is prioritized to school districts who do not currently have any State-funded pre-kindergarten slots. Prekindergarten funding will increase by $20 million annually for the next two years, for a total expansion of $145 million in 2023-24.

In the 50th Senate District, full-day Pre-K programs for 4 year olds will be available to the following school districts: 

·       Baldwinsville

·       Fayetteville-Manlius

·       Jamesville-Dewitt

·       Liverpool

·       Marcellus

·       North Syracuse

·       Skaneateles

·       Tully

·       West Genesee

·       Westhill 

*Districts will have the choice to opt-in