Garnerville, NY – New York State Senator Pete Harckham announced today the full restoration of Foundation Aid—plus a $2.2 million boost in total school aid—for the North Rockland Central School District in the new state budget.
The announcement follows the enacting of the FY2024-2025 State Budget, in which the State Legislature rejected the Governor’s elimination of Hold Harmless, an accepted budgetary guideline that ensures school districts do not receive less in Foundation Aid than the previous year. In the new budget, the Legislature instead restored funding cuts and increased Foundation Aid funding statewide over last year by $934 million or 3.9%.
Under the Executive’s proposed FY2024-2025, nine out of the 19 school districts in SD40 were to receive less Foundation Aid. North Rockland Central School District, which enrolls 7,888 students, would have lost $729,815 of its Foundation Aid as part of the Executive’s proposed budget.
“Our students and school districts need financial stability,” said Harckham “Last year, we finally fully funded Foundation Aid. It’s not fair to pull the rug out from under our schools by drastically cutting the very next year. That’s not fair to the students in the North Rockland Central School District or anywhere else. For future state budgets we can revisit the funding formulas while making sure we maintain our support for districts statewide. But in doing so, let’s prioritize our commitments to ensuring the best educational opportunities possible for all, because short-changing our students can never be an option.”
The North Rockland School District will receive $116,390,715 in total school aid in the FY2024-2025 State Budget, a $2,292,127 or 2% increase from the previous year, and all its Foundation Aid was restored.
North Rockland Central School District Superintendent of Schools Kris Felicello, Ed. D., said, “Governor Hochul’s originally proposed education budget would have deprived North Rockland students of the resources needed to succeed. Senator Harckham understands that a predictable and consistent funding formula is critical for public schools to continue to improve educational opportunities for children. We appreciate having Senator Hackman as an advocate in Albany fighting for North Rockland.”
In September 2023, Harckham announced that the North Rockland Central School District would receive $1 million from the Senate as part of a plan that provides additional funding for school districts experiencing extraordinary changes in taxable property valuations or significant tax liabilities because of a tax certiorari settlement or judgment. In the case of the North Rockland district, the funding was meant to help draw down debt from the 2006 tax certiorari settlement with Mirant Corp., the owner of two power plants in the district.
Since taking office in 2019, Harckham has helped secure more than $208 million in additional state funding for schools in Senate District 40.