RED ALERT... IMMEDIATE ACTION TODAY, TONIGHT & TOMORROW MORNING IS NEEDED! KEY SENATE FINANCE COMMITTEE VOTE WEDNESDAY ON BILL THAT WOULD KEEP GEA IN EFFECT FOR THREE MORE BUDGET CYCLES! WE NEED CALLS, EMAILS, TWEETS SENT ASAP TO ALL SENATORS - ESPECIALLY MEMBERS OF THE FINANCE COMMITTEE S5452C - FLANAGAN Requires the state to pay down the gap elimination adjustment in THREE(!) years Currently on Senate Finance Committee Agenda Senate Standing Committee on Finance Senator John A. DeFrancisco, Chair 11:00 AM, Wednesday, May 28, 2014 Room 124 CAP The Senate has promised to eliminate the GEA for three years now...they have failed to do so! SSFC remains committed to FULLY ending the GEA - ONCE AND FOR ALL - in THE 2015-16 state budget. Gap Elimination Adjustments are completely regressive-they hurt low wealth school districts more on a per pupil basis than high wealth school districts. The Flanagan bill would eliminate the current $1.02 Billion in GEA over the next THREE budget cycles. This is a disaster for school districts that are either at or dangerously close to the fiscal and programmatic cliffs. THE GEA MUST END IN 2015-16. This is the new reality: -Your school districts success is now more dependent on state government than on your own ability to find economies of scale, efficiencies or cost savings through any means. -Tax decreases enacted at the state level while the GEA remains in effect is really nothing more than a tax shift from the state to localities and school districts-not a tax cut. Even the total eradication of the GEA will not be enough to end the inequitable, insufficient, unsustainable and unpredictable nature of state aid to school districts. The last two reports from the Governors New NY Educational Reform Commission failed to provide any guidance for state aid into the future. By putting political considerations above all else, state government has demonstrated that it is clearly unable to find solutions to the problems they have created. Therefore, SSFC continues to call for the establishment of a Berger-type Commission that would develop a non-political approach to equitably funding New York State Schools. This initiative should commence immediately to find a non-politicized solution to the decades-long state aid issues school districts face continue to face every year. The Foundation Aid formula needs to become equitable, sufficient, sustainable and predictable for school districts. We can no long allow state government to diminish our ability to accomplish the considerable mission of NYS public school districts. WHAT YOU NEED TO DO - NOW! BEFORE TOMORROWS SENATE FINANCE COMMITTEE MEETING AT 11:00 AM Immediately, you, your board and - importantly - your community stakeholders need to get in touch with your state Senators via telephone, email or Twitter. Insist that they oppose Senate Bill 5452C and instead support the full eradication of GEA in the 2015-16 state budget and, Establish a non-political Berger-style Commission tasked with providing an equitable and appropriate remedy to Foundation aid in the 2015-16 state budget. As always - thank you for your commitment! We will continue to keep you posted on how this matter develops. Follow us on Twitter Like us on Facebook VISIT SSFC ONLINE: statewideonline.org QUESTIONS? Email us at: [email protected] IF WE DO NOTHING...THEN NOTHING WILL HAPPEN! About Us Statewide School Finance Consortium 6390 Fly Road East Syracuse, New York 13057
Posted on: Wed, 28 May 2014 00:44:48 +0000