School Supers Pleased To Talk To State Officials

CANTON - A group of area school officials left Albany without guarantees they'll get more state funding next year, but feeling positive they had the chance to educate state budget staff about the financial plight of north country school districts.

Three school superintendents from St. Lawrence County and two from Jefferson County met Wednesday with members of Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo's budget staff.

During two separate meetings they lobbied state officials to revise the formula used to distribute state aid funding, arguing that the existing system is inequitable because it hurts poorer districts more than wealthy districts.

"They didn't make any promises, but they did seem receptive to our input," said Thomas R. Burns, superintendent of St. Lawrence-Lewis Board of Educational Services. "We made some contacts and we were able to educate them about our plight and the impact on our students."

The superintendents also accomplished their goal of meeting with budget staff well ahead of Jan. 18, when the governor is expected to release his executive budget.

"They thought our visit was very timely. They haven't started work yet on the budget, but they will very soon," Mr. Burns said. "They're not elected officials, they're appointed. We made some good contacts."

Mr. Burns was joined in Albany by LaFargeville Superintendent Susan Whitney; Thousand Islands Superintendent Joseph Menard; Canton Superintendent William A. Gregory; St. Lawrence Central Superintendent Stephen M. Putman and Potsdam Superintendent Patrick H. Brady.

Mr. Gregory also said he felt the meetings were productive.

"We're hopeful that our efforts have raised the level of consciousness of our lawmakers and those crafting the budget about the real fiscal challenges we face and that our concerns will receive due consideration as budgeting decisions are made," Mr. Gregory said in an email.

The north country school officials had two separate meetings. Their first session was with Catherine Durand, deputy director of the state's Division of Budget and Lisa Timoney, education budget specialist.

The second meeting was with two members of the Assembly Ways and Means staff, Blake Washington, director of budget studies, and Jocelyn Dax, deputy director for education and general government.

Assemblywoman Addie J. Russell, D-Theresa, organized the meeting and also attended.

Mr. Burns said data was presented showing how this year's state aid cuts hurt poor school districts much harder than wealthier districts.

Statewide, the state's gap elimination adjustment resulted in an average loss of $937 per student. However, in St. Lawrence County, the average loss was $1,364, with some districts, including Potsdam and Canton, hit even harder.

During Wednesday's meetings, north country school officials made sure budget officials knew about the severe cuts that many districts made this year including jobs, sports and programs.

"We made it very clear about the implications these cuts were having," Mr. Burns said.

Atate Regents James Dawson is scheduled to meet Tuesday with St. Lawrence County school superintendents and visit with some school districts.

Rick Timbs, executive director of Statewide School Finance Consortium, is also scheduled to meet with area school officials that day equipped with data showing how state aid cuts affected different legislative districts.

"The more people that become aware of our situation the more it can help us," Mr. Burns said.