Assemblymember Stirpe (D-Cicero) announced that the 2014-15 state budget focuses on families in Central New York by easing the tax burden through reducing property and energy taxes and increasing school aid by over $12 million dollars for schools in the 127th Assembly District, consisting of the towns of Cicero, Clay, Fabius, Manlius, Pompey and Tully (A.8556-D, A.8557-D, A.8559-D).

Providing tax relief for hardworking families

This year’s budget provides significant property tax relief for homeowners by offering a two-year property tax credit in the form of a direct check, provided that a local government and school district stay within the 2 percent property tax cap. To benefit for a second year, schools and localities would have to propose a detailed cost-cutting plan. This measure will not only help families save money, but will also incentivize efficiency, saving taxpayers over $1.5 billion over the next 3 years.

“Central New York families need property tax relief,” Assemblyman Stirpe said. “This budget takes a step toward easing the property tax burden for homeowners,”

This year’s budget accelerates the phase-out of the burdensome 18-a energy tax surcharge rates by $200 million annually for both residential and commercial customers and $600 million over the next three years and will be completely phased out by December 31, 2017.

Investing in CNY schools

Included with the over $12 million increase in school aid to schools in the 127th Assembly District is over $2.2 million in additional funding for Foundation Aid and over $8.4 million in restorations to the Gap Elimination Adjustment (GEA), helping to reduce the negative financial impact on our schools.

“The increases in school aid seen in this year’s budget are a sign that we are placing a priority on our children’s education,” Assemblyman Stirpe said. “But, we need to make sure that we continue to do more to help the schools that are struggling with large budget gaps this year.”

Additionally, the 2014-15 budget includes $200,000 in funding for Innovation Tech School at Onondaga-Cortland-Madison BOCES that will begin this coming September.

“The $200,000 that has been mentioned in the state budget will go towards offsetting the cost of the New Tech contract to help us work towards implementing the regional vision,” Jody Manning, District Superintendent and CEO of OCM BOCES. “Our partnership with the New Tech Network will give us the ability to provide students with the best professional development, coaching, and support for Project Based Learning that can be found anywhere. While the funding will most demonstrably support the two New Tech High Schools - one each in Cortland and Onondaga County, it is our capacity to help all districts that are most important in the long run.”

Delaying common core

The budget also includes reforms to the flawed implementation of Common Core. The budget protects students from unfair consequences based on bubble test results and safeguards the security of sensitive student data. The reforms also:

• ban standardized tests for students in grades K-2;
• delay the usage of “high stakes” test from becoming a part of a student’s permanent record in grades 3-8;
• place restrictions on the sharing of student data and requiring the Education Department to appoint a chief privacy officer;
• establish a ‘Parents Bill of Rights’ that places limits on the sharing of student data; and
• eliminate inBloom and require the Education Department to request that all student data already provided to inBloom be deleted.

A breakdown of funding by school district can be found at: http://assembly.state.ny.us/comm/Ed/201401schoolaid/index.pdf