Latest news with #FoundationAid
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Mount Vernon names new schools superintendent; last one accused of misconduct, forced out
Mount Vernon's school board unanimously appointed a new superintendent, Demario A. Strickland, at a May 14 special meeting. Strickland, who is currently interim superintendent of the Rochester City School District, is expected to start in the district July 1. Strickland, 40, joins the district as challenges loom. Mount Vernon has seen declining enrollment over the last decade. The district is expected to see a scant 2% increase in state Foundation Aid despite serving a high-needs population. Mount Vernon on May 20 proposed a $272.2 million budget that would increase the tax levy by 3.3%. In his first communication with district residents, Strickland said, 'As the new superintendent, I would like to encourage everyone to come out to vote.' Amid financial strains, district officials in April revealed that 84 teachers, teaching assistants and administrators would be laid off this summer, along with 40 civil-service employees. Mount Vernon in 2024 was labeled a district in "significant financial stress" by the state Comptroller's Office. About 73% of students were considered economically disadvantaged and 12% were homeless in 2023-24, according to state Education Department data. About 93% of the district's approximately 6,500 students are Black or Latino. Meanwhile, Mount Vernon's last permanent superintendent, Waveline Bennett-Conroy, had been formally suspended in 2024 by the district amid accusations of misconduct. But the district still ended up forking out tens of thousands of dollars in pay to her. Bennett-Conroy's contract expires June 30. Mount Vernon announced this year that three K-8 campuses would be closed over the summer because of declining enrollment and financial difficulties. In Rochester, Strickland oversaw a school reconfiguration plan that had been laid out by the previous superintendent. Mount Vernon Board of Education President Adriane Saunders said in a May 14 statement that Strickland was "uniquely qualified" because of his experience in urban-based schools and "his ability to create positive outcomes for students." K. Veronica Smith, named Mount Vernon acting superintendent in February 2023, said she was looking forward to collaborating with Strickland. 'He has the experience and accomplishments to continue doing great work in Mount Vernon.' Strickland has a doctorate in educational leadership and master's degrees in administration & supervision; curriculum and teaching; and school district leadership. He was named acting superintendent for the Rochester city schools in 2024 and had been deputy superintendent. He had also been an administrator in the Buffalo Public Schools, a dean of students in New York City and a teacher in New York City. 'I'm very much about student outcomes," Strickland said in a district-issued statement. "Are students safe? Are they feeling seen, affirmed and valued when they come into our schools? Are teachers equipped with a guaranteed and viable curriculum that will help them be able to plan and educate our students to the greatest ability they can? I want to make sure that ZIP code doesn't define what our students are capable of.' This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Mount Vernon names new schools superintendent from Rochester, New York
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Yahoo
Lewis County crash claims life of driver
TOWN OF TURIN, N.Y. (WWTI) – A Monday afternoon crash in Lewis County has claimed the life of one person. According to the Lewis County Sheriff's Office, a 1988 Ford dump truck operated by 49-year-old David Kantor was traveling eastbound of Lyman Road. Authorities said that Lyman failed to negotiate a curve in the roadway. New York State budget tweaks Foundation Aid formula The dump truck then struck a parked trailer and an excavator located on the Gomer Hill Road. Kantor was transported to a nearby landing zone and where airlifted to SUNY Upstate Medical Center in Syracuse. However, he later died as a result of his injuries. The investigation is currently ongoing to Sheriff's officials. The New York State Collision Reconstruction Unit and Commercial Vehicle Unit, Lyons Falls Ambulance, Turin Fire Department, Town of Turin Highway Department and Groff's Towing all assisted on the scene. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
New York Post
09-05-2025
- Business
- New York Post
Long Island schools score $270M state-aid boost— but homeowners still drowning in some of highest property taxes in US
Long Island schools are set to receive more than $270 million in extra state aid for the next year — a 5.4% jump over last year — but local homeowners will still be drowning from some of the highest property taxes in the US. Albany's new budget allocates a record $37 billion in school funding statewide. The pact also tacks on free school breakfast and lunch for all students regardless of income and implements a statewide classroom smartphone ban starting this fall. Advertisement Long Island schools will receive over $270 million in extra state aid for 2026 — a 5.4% jump over last year. Darren McGee/Office of Governor Kathy Hochul 'This represents one of the largest statewide school aid increases since the Foundation Aid formula was established in 2007,' the New York School Board Association said in a statement, referring to the state's attempt to more equitably distribute money to needy districts. Nassau schools will be divvying up an extra $123 million — a 6% jump for the county — bringing the total amount of state funds to nearly $2.15 billion for next year. Advertisement Suffolk will see a roughly similar 5% increase with an extra nearly $150 million to bring their total state aid to more than $3 billion. The vast majority of Long Island school districts — 108 out of 124 — are in line for a boost in state aid under Albany's new budget. While most of their increases are going to be relatively small, a handful of districts will see major gains, including Elmont and Deer Park with 13% jumps, as well as Hempstead and Middle Country at nearly 11% rises. But because the budget was more than 30 days late in being passed, combined with state laws requiring districts to complete their budget proposals for next year by April 25, Long Island homeowners will not see a decrease in their property taxes, which rank among the highest in the nation, at least this year. Advertisement The new Albany budget is allocating a record $37 billion in school funding across New York state. jrossphoto – Property taxes in both counties have ballooned in the past decade despite state aid now covering a much larger share of Long Island's school funding than it did a decade ago, rising roughly $2.5 billion from about 21% in 2015-16 to nearly 32% this school year, according to Newsday. Gov. Kathy Hochul told homeowners in Long Island last week that relief was coming and was included in the budget — promising that roughly 80% of New Yorkers will see their taxes go down while also receiving inflation checks and tax credits for children. 'Your family is my fight,' Hochul told reporters outside of a Copiague home.
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
New formula for N.Y. State education aid turns out to be bad news for NYC
A revised formula doling out $26.4 billion to New York school districts that public education advocates had been lobbying for will, as it turns out, deliver hundreds of millions less to New York City than had the old formula remained intact. The new plan, passed Thursday by state lawmakers, was supposed to be a welcome development, as the past two schools chancellors and their backers had long been pushing for reforms to the state's per-pupil funding, known as Foundation Aid. But in a twist, the deal reached between Gov. Hochul and the Legislature will leave a gaping hole between what the city expected and what it ultimately receives. An earlier estimate projected the difference at about $350 million. All in all, though, the budget agreement still results in an overall Foundation Aid increase of about 5% for the city's public schools, according to the governor's office. 'While an overhaul of the outdated formula is sorely needed, the limited changes make matters worse — shortchanging NYC students as a result,' Kim Sweet, executive director of Advocates for Children, said in a statement. The budget bill updated the formula's poverty weight by replacing decades-old census data with a new metric known as Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, or 'SAIPE.' It also substitutes school lunch eligibility with a broader category of 'economically disadvantaged' students. 'We're not using the old data that was used before because it was leading to unfair outcomes,' Hochul said at a media gathering earlier this week. 'We're going to be using the most up-to-date poverty estimates. That'll be the major change.' Both changes were first proposed by the governor in January. But the Adams administration warned of the $350 million gap, in part because the federal guidelines for poverty do not account for the local cost of living. City Hall and the Education Department did not return a request for comment on Thursday afternoon. 'I'm not going to argue for the old way of counting [poverty], because it was based on the 2000 census. So yes, we should do away with relying on data from the 2000 census,' said Michael Rebell, executive director of the Center for Educational Equity at Columbia University Teachers College, who was an attorney in the landmark school funding lawsuit that prompted the Foundation Aid formula. Rebell added that an index that better accounts for the regional costs in New York City could have helped offset the difference. But ultimately, lawmakers only updated the measure for Westchester County. 'That's why I say do the whole formula. You don't do it piecemeal,' Rebell said. The plan also expands the weight for students learning the English language, restoring an estimated $30 million — though that is far short of the $350 million and a recent proposal by the Assembly, according to estimates by Advocates for Children. 'You're going to have people who see the glass as half full and as half empty. On the one hand, it's a significant amount less than what New York City schools would've received under the old Foundation Aid,' said Sen. John Liu (D-Queens), chairman of the Education Committee. 'On the other hand, it is about $540 million more than last year.' Asked which camp he falls in, Liu said: 'I'm happy that we were able to get a substantial amount more money for New York City public schools.' Rebell and Liu both agree that more changes are needed. Rebell is working on a new funding formula, while Liu is pushing for further reforms: 'We all understood that the Foundation Aid formula, which is almost 20 years old, at this point requires updates and possible overhauls. I think the executive budget and enacted budget did not go far enough in truly updating the formula,' the senator said. Apart from Foundation Aid, the budget also finalized changes to the educational standards for religious schools, such as yeshivas, including pushing back the timeline of real consequences for not providing basic instruction in subjects such as reading and math. It also signed into law a new school cell phone ban, with a $13.5 million state investment to assist with implementation.
Yahoo
29-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
'A lot remains to be seen' — school districts move cautiously on Department of Education cuts
With President Trump signing an executive order to eliminate the Department of Education, how Niagara County school districts receive funding for certain types of programming is now up in the air. The administration has said funding the department is responsible for, such as Title I, Pell Grants, and funding for disabled children would instead be moved to other agencies and departments. The majority of school budgets, however, come from the state using a formula called Foundation Aid to determine how much funding a district gets. The March 20 executive order states that 'the Secretary of Education shall, to the maximum extent appropriate and permitted by law, take all the necessary steps to facilitate the closure of the Department of Education and return authority over education to the states and local communities while ensuring the effective and uninterrupted delivery of services, programs, and benefits which Americans rely. The order is part of the Trump's efforts to downsize and make the federal government more efficient. Trump's order does not close the $79 billion department completely, which has existed since 1979. That can only happen through an act of Congress. The situation has led to a lot of uncertainty, locally. 'A lot of it remains to be seen,' said Niagara Falls City Schools Superintendent Mark Laurrie, whose district received around $11 million through various federal funding streams this current school year. He and other county superintendents are monitoring the situation to see what changes could happen. Laurrie previously told the Gazette that the worst-case scenarios could see staff layoffs and some programs being discontinued. In Title funding alone, which supplements education for children who are in high-poverty areas and funds such programs as learning English as a new language and help for low academic achievers, Niagara County public school districts and the charter school received nearly $12.5 million. Those districts are well into the presentation phases for next year's school budgets with federal and state funding having already been allocated. The earliest any impact from potential cuts could be felt is the 2026/27 school year. Laurrie said that next year's $202.4 million school budget is ready for a vote, due to happen on May 20. Niagara-Wheatfield Superintendent Dan Ljilianich, whose planned $91.1 million 2025/26 budget would increase the tax levy by 0.64%, expects around $2.91 million in federal funding like last year. That includes Title funding, IDEA Act funding, Medicaid, and Impact Aid for having the Tuscarora Nation in its area. 'As a school district, we have a concern with the unknown,' Ljilianich said, adding there would be no changes to the tax levy because of federal actions. Royalton-Hartland Central School District received $87,419 from the Department of Agriculture's Patrick Leahy Farm to School Implementation Grant Program in 2021 for hands-on learning and to get students interested in the field. Having applied for it again this year, that program has been canceled. 'It's difficult to predict the impact of the unknown,' said Superintendent Jill Heck, whose district received more than $300,000 in Title funding and $364,401 in IDEA Act funding. 'We expect that some of the funding will be channeled through a different federal program, but again, that remains to be determined.' With President Trump signing an executive order to eliminate the Department of Education, how Niagara County school districts receive funding for certain types of programming is now up in the air. The administration has said funding the department is responsible for, such as Title I, Pell Grants, and funding for disabled children would instead be moved to other agencies and departments. The majority of school budgets, however, come from the state using a formula called Foundation Aid to determine how much funding a district gets. The March 20 executive order states that 'the Secretary of Education shall, to the maximum extent appropriate and permitted by law, take all the necessary steps to facilitate the closure of the Department of Education and return authority over education to the states and local communities while ensuring the effective and uninterrupted delivery of services, programs, and benefits which Americans rely. The order is part of the Trump's efforts to downsize and make the federal government more efficient. Trump's order does not close the $79 billion department completely, which has existed since 1979. That can only happen through an act of Congress. The situation has led to a lot of uncertainty, locally. 'A lot of it remains to be seen,' said Niagara Falls City Schools Superintendent Mark Laurrie, whose district received around $11 million through various federal funding streams this current school year. He and other county superintendents are monitoring the situation to see what changes could happen. Laurrie previously told the Gazette that the worst-case scenarios could see staff layoffs and some programs being discontinued. In Title funding alone, which supplements education for children who are in high-poverty areas and funds such programs as learning English as a new language and help for low academic achievers, Niagara County public school districts and the charter school received nearly $12.5 million. Those districts are well into the presentation phases for next year's school budgets with federal and state funding having already been allocated. The earliest any impact from potential cuts could be felt is the 2026/27 school year. Laurrie said that next year's $202.4 million school budget is ready for a vote, due to happen on May 20. Niagara-Wheatfield Superintendent Dan Ljilianich, whose planned $91.1 million 2025/26 budget would increase the tax levy by 0.64%, expects around $2.91 million in federal funding like last year. That includes Title funding, IDEA Act funding, Medicaid, and Impact Aid for having the Tuscarora Nation in its area. 'As a school district, we have a concern with the unknown,' Ljilianich said, adding there would be no changes to the tax levy because of federal actions. Royalton-Hartland Central School District received $87,419 from the Department of Agriculture's Patrick Leahy Farm to School Implementation Grant Program in 2021 for hands-on learning and to get students interested in the field. Having applied for it again this year, that program has been canceled. 'It's difficult to predict the impact of the unknown,' said Superintendent Jill Heck, whose district received more than $300,000 in Title funding and $364,401 in IDEA Act funding. 'We expect that some of the funding will be channeled through a different federal program, but again, that remains to be determined.'
