Realities of Governor’s Proposed Budget

State Aid cuts across the State are NOT Equitable

Our Situation

Fort Plain Central School’s state aid will be reduced by $861,477 in the Governor’s proposal.

State Aid Cuts are not Equable

Other Districts are seeing the same inequities

All HFM BOCES Districts are being treated unfairly

How Did This Happen?

Governor Coumo believes districts;

-can use their money in reserve or fund balances to offset this cut -can raise taxes in order to maintain programs and staffing levels

The Governor’s beliefs are wrong

Combined Wealth Ratio (.5 Property + .5 Income) = CWR Average Wealth = 1.0

Fort Plain Central School CWR= 0.32

Island Park UFSD Southold USFD CWR= 2.26 CWR= 2.91

State Aid Cuts as % of Levy

0.00%

2.00%

4.00%

6.00%

8.00%

10.00%

12.00%

14.00%

16.00%

Island Park Southold Fort Plain

Who can correct this problem?

NOT our Board of Education NOT our Administrators NOT our Teachers NOT our Unions

YOUR LEGISLATORS CAN – by voting “NO” on the Governor’s proposed budget

What can you do?

During the next two weeks, our Legislators will start voting on the budget bills.

Contact your Legislators! Tell them you want to see equity in

State Aid cuts.

Call, Write, E-mail or Go See

Senator Farley 2430 Riverfront Center Amsterdam, NY 12010

(518) 843-2188

Assemblyman Amedore1170 Riverfront CenterAmsterdam, NY 12010 (518) 843-0227

www.assembly.state.ny.uswww.nysenate.gov

What are you going to do….

S.O.S.-----Save Our Schools

Write a letter:

Senator Farley- I am writing to ask you to vote 'no' on the Governor's proposed state budget

because it is inherently unfair to poor school districts. For example, Fort Plain Central Schools has a combined wealth ratio of .32 -- well below the state’s established minimum (or “floor”) income wealth index of .65. This means our school aid is calculated as if we have more resources than we actually have -- further punishing local taxpayers and children who have it hard enough without the added burden of flawed mathematics at the state level. We need to know that you understand these equations and their impacts, and that you are taking meaningful steps to correct them. I look forward to your reply and I will be sharing it with our residents at upcoming town and school board meetings.

Thank you in advance for helping craft an equitable system for sharing state aid between all school districts.

Todd McFee, President Fort Plain Central School District