Assemblymember Didi Barrett (D-Hudson) announced that the final 2014-15 state budget includes over $160 million in funding for Columbia and Dutchess County school districts in her Assembly district.

“Investing in education is investing in our future,” said Assemblymember Barrett. “Our students deserve the highest quality education and our teachers need the tools to ensure our students excel from pre-K to college.”

State aid and percent increase:

• Arlington Central School District: $44,837,469, an increase of 1.46%
• Copake-Taconic Hills School District: $8,340,529, an increase of 3.37%
• Germantown Central School District: $3,862,961, an increase of 6.39%
• Hudson City School District: $16,843,065, an increase of 7.46%
• Hyde Park Central School District: $23,253,766, an increase of 5.11%
• Pine Plains Central School District: $5,671,883, an increase of 5.32%
• Spackenkill Union Free School District: $6,264,642, an increase of 4.66%
• Wappingers Central School District: $47,414,312, an increase of 7.23%
• Webutuck Central School District [Northeast]: $4,447,739, an increase of 3.45%

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 bubble test results 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;
• eliminate inBloom and require the Education Department to request that all student data already provided to inBloom be deleted.

“Delaying high-stakes tests will improve student morale and give our teachers more time to properly implement the new standards. Having voted once for a delay of Common Core in the Assembly, I am encouraged that the budget includes the same delay,” said Barrett. “From the beginning, I had significant concerns over the collection of student data. Our students are not spreadsheets of data but unique individuals who deserve to have their privacy protected.”

Overall the state budget increases school aid by $1.1 billion, which is an increase of 5.4%. Included in this funding is $602 million in Gap Elimination Adjustment (GEA) restoration, which is $278 more than the executive proposal. Barrett noted this is only one step along the way and will continue fighting to fully restore this aid. In addition to GEA restoration, the budget includes a $250 million increase in Foundation Aid, which targets high needs and rural districts and provides much-needed relief to school districts that face costs largely beyond their control. The final budget also provides a $5 million increase in funding to Special Act, 853 and 4201 schools. Barrett noted that this funding is a positive start but more is needed to ensure that these schools who work with our most vulnerable students receive their fair share.