URGENT: NYS Education Budget Impact

[wendyn...@gmail.com]

During these critical hours of NYS budget negotiations, we ask that you please honor & fulfill the State's constitutional obligation to "provide for the maintenance and support of a system of free common schools..."
 
First and foremost, Albany must fully fund its obligation to public school districts, and fully eliminate the Gap Elimination Adjustment (GEA) annual reduction in State Aid.  Since 2009, the GEA has amounted to a loss of $8.1 BILLION dollars in NYS funding for education statewide, and is slated to take another $1.3 BILLION from school districts for 2014-15.
 
However, the solution to high property taxes in our region should not be addressed solely on the revenue side of the equation. Freezing the public school district levy with tax rebates and suggesting that consolidation measures are the only way to solve the public education equation is not a long term, viable solution and avoids addressing root causes - such as underfunded/unfunded mandates -- for the current financial situation. In fact, it will only aggravate school districts' current downhill spiral.  
 

Click the link below to take action on this issue:
https://www.votervoice.net/Shares/BJtqLANcACGoIA0EMxK7AAA