Hawley Named NYSSBA "Freshman Legislator of the Year"

Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R, I, C - Batavia) was named by the New York State School Board Association as their "Freshman Legislator of the Year." Hawley was chosen for this award for his dedication to improving the quality of New York State public schools.

"Having previously served on the Genesee Valley BOCES Board of Education, I am deeply passionate about ensuring our schools have the support they need in order to give students the best possible future. My grandmother was one of the first women ever elected to a school board in New York State. The tradition continued with my father's school board service. Three years ago, my son was elected the very first student representative on our local school board. My family has a long tradition of working to assure a quality education for our children and I am proud to be a part of promoting that legacy. It is quite an honor to be standing here today to receive this award and NYSSBA can continue to count on my support," stated Hawley.

The award was presented to Hawley by NYSSBA President Wayne Schlifke (pictured above, left) at NYSSBA's annual legislative summit in Albany. Over 300 board members from across the state attended the event. NYSSBA serves as the statewide voice of more than 700 boards of education with the collective influence of some 5,000 school board members.

Pictured to the right, Hawley meets with members of NYSSBA, Genesee Valley BOCES members and other Western NY board members. These members also met with Hawley in his legislative office in Albany to discuss the impact of the governor's proposed Executive Budget on school districts in Western New York. Despite reaching an agreement on a new foundation aid formula last year, in order to protect schools with a predictable funding formula, the governor backed out of the agreement and is proposing to reduce the minimum (and maximum) increases schools across the state will receive this year.

This may ultimately result in increased property taxes. The Assemblyman is adamantly opposed to increasing any taxes, especially those on Western New York's homeowners and has pledged to fight against enactment of the governor's budget proposal.