School districts in Central New York and across the state could see yet another record level of funding, this time under Governor Kathy Hochul. Brian Fessler is director of governmental relations for the New York State School Boards Association.
“I think there’s a lot to be happy about, so we are optimistic that there will be a lot of legislative support,” Fessler said. "Certainly, there are some additions and some tweaks that we’d like to see, as is common in any year.”
Hochul’s proposed budget allocates more than $31 billion in school aid, a 7% increase over last year. Fessler is also glad to see the governor continue the second of a three-year commitment to foundation aid, which aims to allocate funds equitably to all school districts, especially high-need districts. But districts face other challenges outside of funding. Fessler said Hochul is responding to their call to help address staffing shortages.
“We may see retired teachers or retired bus drivers come back to fill-in temporarily in a classroom. But there’s a cap to the earnings they can make if they’re a retiree,” Fessler said. “The governor proposed to temporarily waive that cap to address these short-term challenges.”
Outside the classroom, Fessler said Hochul’s one billion dollar “connect all” initiative should help bridge the digital divide.
“Particularly in rural areas, but there are pockets in suburbs and urban areas, where either access is limited or there are affordability barriers. That’s something, especially over the past couple years, as educational delivery has been done remotely or in a hybrid format," Fessler added.
Fessler said they continue to hear from members about broadband access issues. Overall, he said there were no surprises in Hochul’s budget, and is encouraged by her commitment to education.
