Local school districts have two demands for state legislators this budget season: get rid the gap elimination adjustment and fix the formula for foundation aid.
Speakers at a forum hosted by the Central New York School Boards Association (CNYSBA) urged residents to contact legislators through face-to-face visits, emails, letters, calls and social media to ensure schools get proper funding.
“As you move forward, it’s important that you tell your story, how it impacts your district and your children,” Oswego County BOCES District Superintendent Christopher Todd said at the introduction of the forum, held Feb. 4 at North Syracuse Junior High School.
Dr. Rick Timbs, executive director of the Statewide School Finance Consortium (SSFC), showed that the problem of the gap elimination adjustment (GEA) has been compounded over the years and that foundation aid is not being distributed equitably among wealthy and poor districts.
“We have two opposing aid categories: one gives and one takes away,” Timbs said of the disparity between foundation aid and the GEA.
Timbs said Central New York school districts have lost more than $400 million to the GEA since it was introduced in the 2009-10 school year. Statewide, schools have lost nearly $10 billion in that time.
Timbs slammed Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s proposal to restore the GEA over a period of two years. The governor’s budget proposal would restore $189.41 million of the GEA in 2016-17 and the remainder in 2017-18. Timbs equated it to giving someone part of a car.
“I’ll give you the front half this year and the back half next year,” Timbs said.
Simply getting rid of the GEA without overhauling the distribution of foundation aid is not enough, Timbs said. He explained that while the poorest districts receive 4.7 times as much foundation aid per student than the wealthiest districts, those high-income districts are
14.8 times wealthier than their low-income counterparts.
Cuomo’s budget plan increases foundation aid to schools by 1.68 percent, or $266.37 million. Timbs said the state needs to put forth a minimum increase of $880 million and adjust the formula to distribute that aid more fairly. He suggested the state weigh the relative wealth or poverty of a district in determining its foundation aid.
‘Advocacy from your seat’
Charles Borgognoni, executive director of CNYSBA, urged parents to meet with their state senators and assemblymembers. He provided forum attendees with an “advocacy tool kit” with talking points, tips on effective communication and contact information for state legislators.
Borgognoni stressed the importance of CNYSBA’s two “asks,” the restoration of GEA funds and foundation aid improvements.
“We can’t get caught up in that either/or situation — we need both,” he said.
Borgognoni said social media and smartphones allow people to engage in “advocacy from your seat” through emails, tweets and Facebook posts.
Timbs said residents should meet with or contact their legislators periodically to “keep the ball rolling.”
“Don’t make the process an event; don’t just go meet with them one time,” Timbs said.
While Timbs and Borgognoni stressed “advocacy from your seat,” many seats at the North Syracuse forum were empty: only about 50 people attended. After the forum, the North Syracuse Central School District’s Associate Superintendent for Business Services Don Keegan said the turnout was disappointing, but he encouraged parents and students alike to make their voices heard.
“The evidence is in: kids are suffering,” Keegan said of the effect of the GEA and unequal foundation aid distribution.
Keegan said North Syracuse is working with a group of 12th-graders to contact local legislators such as Sen. John DeFrancisco to support state aid reform. Keegan said the forum’s message of “tell your story” is important, as each district’s needs are unique.
“John DeFrancisco doesn’t want some form letter that’s put on the copier and mailed 700 times. He wants kids to understand the issues,” Keegan said.
Keegan said budget cuts at North Syracuse have reduced extracurricular activities and elective course offerings. Since many students can’t take their preferred electives, they are less engaged in school and have shortened schedules.
“This fiscal crisis is causing us to lose our kids. A full third of our kids at the high school either arrive late or leave early,” Keegan said. “We’ve worked really hard to cut away from the classroom, but despite our best efforts, kids have lost opportunities.”
Timbs’ presentation and the advocacy tool kit can be found on CNYSBA’s website at cnysba.org/wordpress/2016-community-forums.
