Gillibrand Seeks Aid for Area Schools

April 19, 2010

Legislation introduced by U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand would provide more than $200 million in federal funding to avoid state aid-related teacher cutbacks and help hold down local school taxes in the Western New York and Rochester-Finger Lakes regions of the state.

School districts in Genesee County would get an estimated $5.9 million share of a total of more than $1 billion eyed for the cash-strapped state that Gillibrand, D-N.Y., said faces a $1.3 billion budget shortfall in educational aid.

An estimated $3.9 million would be for schools in Orleans County, according to Gillibrand’s figures. Those in Wyoming County would get about $3.1 million.

"We are facing a real crisis right now in New York and as a mother and a lawmaker I am very concerned about the impact the state’s budget shortfall could have on our schools, she said in a news release advising of the legislation.

&#x 0A; Nationwide, the Keeping Our Educators Working Act would create a $23 billion education jobs fund, modeled after the State Fiscal Stabilization Fund that was established by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, Gillibrand said. New York, dealing with a $9.2 billion budget deficit for 2010-11, would receive approximately $1.4 billion in federal funding through the legislation, she said.

The money could be used for compensation and benefits to retain existing employees, hiring new employees and on-the-job training activities for education-related careers, she said.

Under the proposed state budget, 99 percent of school districts would see state aid cuts next year, Gillibrand said. Those cuts, she said, would translate into larger class sizes, less extra help, fewer advanced classes and other lost opportunities for students.

Many school districts would have to cut programs and raise tax levies to make up for the loss in state aid, she said, further jeopardizing public education and burdening local taxpayers.

The Democrat, who is serving by appointment pending a special election in November, didn’t list projected staff cutback figures for local schools, but said the legislation would help prevent some of an expected 19,000 layoffs of teachers and support staff statewide.

"This legislation would provide New York communities with the funding we need so that we do not have to lay off thousands of teachers and we can protect our children’s education," she said.