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The New York State Senate chamber. Photo: JvL CC some rights reserved
Upstate Senators: Poor, rural schools need more state aid
Rensselaer, NY, Feb 22, 2013 — Eighteen senators from Upstate New York have sent a letter to Governor Andrew Cuomo, asking him to make his school aid more fair to the low-wealth school districts they represent.
Senators Betty Little, Joe Griffo, and Patty Ritchie of the North Country all signed on to the letter.
It commends Governor Cuomo’s plan to restore some aid the state cut over the past few years. But the letter says high-poverty urban districts get a greater percentage of the restoration money than other low-wealth districts. Some city districts would receive 40 percent of those cuts back, while other low-wealth districts would get less than 10 percent.
The letter also asks Cuomo to take $75 million he has earmarked for competitive grants, and instead put it into the general school aid pot. The senators say many smaller districts don’t have the resources to produce a winning grant application.
