Akron Central’s concerns over educational funding and mandates shared during Lobby Day in Albany
It is said, that if you want to become an instrument of change, gather people in your community and host a regular conversation. That was the goal on Wednesday, February 7, as Akron School Board President Erik Polkowski joined a coalition of fourteen other area school board representatives in Albany.
The Erie County Association of School Boards (ECASB) delegation joined other NYS school board members and districts as a part of the New York State School Board Associations (NYSSBA) Lobby Day. This day is an annual event where school boards are encouraged to go to the state capital to meet with their local representatives one on one to speak to the concerns and issues facing their district and the greater educational community.
The ECASB delegation began the day by being introduced and welcomed by Assemblyman William Conrad (140) at the opening of the Assembly session. Following the introduction, the delegation held 30-minute meetings throughout the day with thirteen state representatives, including Senator Mayer (37), Chair of the Senate Education Committee. Polkowski met with the four representatives covering the Akron Central School District: Assemblyman Hawley (139), Assemblyman Norris (144), Senator Gallivan (59), and Senator Ortt (62).
The meeting with Senator Ortt included representatives of the Senate Minority Caucus. The focus of discussions with the representatives included the Foundation Aid formula, Zero Emission transportation (Electric buses) and the proposed removal of “save harmless”. This removal would have a significant impact on aid received to area districts. Fifteen of the twenty-eight districts in ECASB are considered save harmless, including Akron.
The ECASB school district of Holland has an 2023-24 budget of twenty-one million dollars and looks to have nearly eight hundred thousand dollars in aid cut through proposed school funding runs. The save harmless provision ensures districts do not see a decrease in Foundation Aid from the previous year. While the proposed adjustment is in response to decreasing enrollments, it does not consider that costs associated with education are increasing. Declines are often only a few students carried over all grade levels. Even with a student reduction, class size dictates required staffing. Likewise, the inflationary figures and areas of data utilized with the formula skew the results and need revisions.
Additional topics for Akron included past-due state payments, 180-day attendance considerations, rural internet access, and staffing shortages, including civil service reforms. Several bills in both the Assembly and Senate were shared for support, opposition, or consideration for legislation. Polkowski indicated that plans for additional conversations with our four district representatives would be planned either at local representative offices or to be held on the district campus with the possible inclusion of additional stakeholders.