Sachem School Leaders Push Cuomo to Release State Aid Projections, Repeal Gap Elimination Adjustment

Gov. Andrew Cuomo is refusing to release state aid projections for the 2015/16 school year and that is not sitting well with Sachem school officials, who say they need those figures in order to begin preparing the district budget.

Cuomo is proposing a $1.1 billion increase in school aid to districts across the state, but the caveat is that increase is tied to education reforms, such as tougher teacher evaluations, according to reports. Cuomo wants those reforms passed by state lawmakers before school aid projections are released.

“This is very troubling for the Sachem Central School District as we depend upon state education aid for approximately 40 percent of our budget,” Sachem Board of Education President Sal Tripi wrote in a letter to the Sachem community urging residents to contact their elected state officials. “The district cannot begin to prepare our budget for community approval in May 2015 without this very important information which is being withheld.”

School officials also want the governor to fully repeal the Gap Elimination Adjustment (GEA), which has slashed aid to districts across the state since 2010. The GEA was put in place when the state was facing a $10 billion budget deficit.

“The New York State financial crisis which ultimately led to the GEA has ended,” Tripi said. “The state is now running a surplus. We now call upon the governor and elected NYS officials to release our state aid runs and to fully eliminate the GEA.”

The Sachem Board of Education and Superintendent James Nolan have also written letters to the governor.

“The children of our district are our most valuable assets,” board members wrote. “They represent our future. Each student has just one opportunity to get the highest quality education and positive experience that Sachem strives to provide. That is now in jeopardy.”

Find the sample letter the district is urging residents to use to contact state lawmakers here.

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