Assemblyman Al Stirpe (D-Cicero) announced that legislation he authored to allow the North Syracuse Central School District to submit final cost reports for past approved school capital improvement projects without penalty is one step closer to becoming law (A.10705). The measure, which has passed both houses, is in response to a nearly $20 million fine that the district is facing.

“The penalty against the North Syracuse Central School District is a major burden that could result in cuts to vital programs and extracurricular activities that help shape our children’s futures,” Stirpe said. “Students and their education should be the primary concern, and these penalties will set the district back. This is a huge victory for our schools and our community.”

In 2015, the North Syracuse Central School District learned that past administrations had missed the deadlines for 23 final cost reports between 1996 and 2010, resulting in a $50.8 million late filing fee, and reached out to Stirpe’s office for help. Stirpe spearheaded a measure in this year’s state budget that lowered the penalty to $19.9 million for the past six projects and is pushing to have the remaining penalty removed.

The district was expected to pay the penalty by making 10 annual payments to the State Education Department starting this month at $1.9 million. These payments would have put undue financial hardship on the district and local property taxpayers and would have jeopardized the quality of education students receive, Stirpe noted. Once the legislation is signed into law it would also ensure that the district doesn’t face a reduction in future state building aid due to past filing errors.

Stirpe has been a strong voice for Central New York students and teachers in the Assembly and secured an increase of over $8.5 million in education aid for local schools this year.