Assemblyman Al Stirpe (D-Cicero) announced that legislation he authored to allow the North Syracuse Central School District to submit its final cost reports for past approved school capital improvement projects without penalty was signed into law by the governor (Ch. 200 of 2018).

“This is a huge victory for North Syracuse students and for our community,” said Stirpe. “By eliminating this exorbitant penalty, my legislation ensures local schools have the resources they need to offer a wide array of classes and after-school programs in a supportive and intellectually stimulating environment. It’s unacceptable to penalize our students because of paperwork errors. This law will ensure our kids and property taxpayers don’t pay for those mistakes.”

In 2015, the North Syracuse Central School District learned that previous administrations had missed the deadlines for 23 final cost reports between 1996 and 2010, resulting in a $50.8 million late filing fee. The district reached out to Stirpe’s office for assistance. Working together, the district and the assemblyman were able to convince the State Education Department to lower the penalty to $19.9 million, which was on six of the past projects. Then, Stirpe authored and passed legislation eliminating the penalty altogether in the final days of the legislative session.

“On behalf of all of our students, teachers and administrators, I want to thank Assemblyman Stirpe for championing this bill and for his unwavering commitment to our community,” said Superintendent of Schools Annette Speach. “This new bill will ensure our students and teachers are not unfairly penalized and allow us to continue providing our students with a high-quality education that prepares them for future success.”

Stirpe has been a steadfast supporter of strengthening education in Central New York. He helped pass a state budget that fairly funds our schools, including an increase of over $8.5 million in education aid for our local schools this year.