Assemblyman John Lemondes (R,C-Lafayette) presented the Cato-Meridian School District with state funds today awarded through the State and Municipal Facilities Community Resiliency, Economic Sustainability, and Technology (SAM/CREST) program. Cato-Meridian is one of the larger school districts in the area, and Lemondes knows how essential grant money can be to ensure students have all the tools and resources they need at their disposal to excel in their studies and prepare themselves for the future. It’s why he’s so proud to present the funds to the district.

“One of the problems we constantly run into in this state is the continued underfunding of schools. Teachers pay for school supplies on their own, parents count pennies to save up for notebooks and backpacks and the administration works incredibly hard to keep the ship moving forward. Grant funding like this helps relieve some stress to the students, faculty and staff, and I’m incredibly proud to be a small part of helping to make this happen,” Lemondes said.

“Despite New York students’ excellent performance, our schools sometimes must get creative in keeping things running and keeping students equipped for class. This grant money won’t solve every problem, but it will help make up the difference in certain areas, and for that, I’m incredibly honored to have helped deliver it today,” Lemondes concluded.