LE ROY PENNYSAVER & NEWS -MARCH 2, 2014
by Kim Cox
LCSD Supt. of Schools
Greetings on this very chilly
day. I’m sure you have all heard
the conversations around the
Common Core initiatives and the
changes proposed by the State
Education Department to slow
its implementation, to reduce the
number of assessments our stu-
dents need to be subjected to and
to put off the implementation of
inBloom’s data dashboards. We
applaud these changes and ap-
preciate that the Education De-
partment has heard the call from
teachers, administrators and par-
ents. We are equally as pleased
that the Common Core will con-
tinue to drive our instruction and
that SED
did not “throw the
baby out with the bath water.
”
The Common Core is inherently
good, excellent really. Implemen-
tation has been challenging, but by
using common sense and working
in collaboration, we here at Le
Roy are not only surviving this
implementation, we are thriving.
Our students are being exposed
to rigorous learning opportuni-
ties, our teachers and leaders are
getting high quality staff develop-
ment and we are all working to-
gether to meet the requirements to
the best of our ability. Sure, there
are some bumps in the road, but
we are confident that we can meet
these challenges and continue to
provide a “world class education,
where all children can succeed!”
Unfortunately, the focus on the
common core provides a conve-
nient political distraction for the
Governor and Albany to not ad-
dress the greatest threat to actual
school improvement efforts - the
Gap Elimination Adjustment
(GEA)
. This year the Governor’s
budget proposal shorts our Dis-
trict
$1.3 million
in constitution-
ally mandated State Aid. In fact
the State has kept over
$7 million
in StateAid through the GEA over
the past 5 years! Compounded
over time, this is about
$19 mil-
lion, more than one year’s bud-
get!
We currently receive approx-
imately
$1 million less
in State
Aid in 2013-14 than we did in
2008-09. Throughout this assault
on our school and the schools that
surround us, we have still man-
aged to maintain programs for our
students, by depleting reserves,
cutting programs, engaging in
collaborative opportunities, and
increasing class sizes. We cannot
continue on this path if we want a
viable school district for the com-
munity of Le Roy.
Not only would this State Aid
have helped us to lower taxes for
our community, these funds would
directly benefit the implementa-
tion of higher standards through
additional professional develop-
ment, resources, and better staffing
to support teachers and students.
The District has worked diligently
to keep the tax rate fairly consis-
tent for the past eight years. We are
sensitive to our community and the
fiscal concerns faced by all. In ad-
dition, our community wants high
quality opportunities for its chil-
dren. Our children deserve to have
the same educational opportunities
as children in Clarence, Pittsford,
or Williamsville.
Educational ex-
cellence should not be based on a
student’s zip code!
Politics and the focus on Com-
mon Core is taking the focus away
from the real issue -
financing!
Since the GEA, we’ve incurred
many reductions and are facing
another year with a $600,000 gap.
The Governor is touting that our
state has gone from a “deficit to
a surplus” under his leadership.
This is simply not true. The state
cannot have a surplus of funds if
school districts and communities
have been denied the funding
their schools are entitled to under
the State Aid formula.
We are not asking for more
money.
We are only asking for
the money that was promised
to our schools and communi-
ties through the Constitution of
New York State.
We need your help. We need
your voices.
It is proven that
Albany and the Governor listen
to their constituents. Please con-
sider writing to your legislators
and more importantly the Gov-
ernor and ask that the
GEA be
eliminated now!
Our children
of today, and tomorrow’s chil-
dren, deserve a high quality edu-
cation. Please go to our website
at
nd click
on the --
Eliminate the GEA!
--
button for names, addresses and
sample letters.
On behalf the Le Roy Board of
Education, the Staff and the Stu-
dents, I want to thank you for your
continued support and attention to
this very important issue.
Superintendent''s Column
Girls Softball Sign Ups
Saturday,
March 22nd
From 9:00 am to 10:30 am
LeRoy Village Fitness
Ages 8-10 and 11-12
Cost $60 per player
$100 For a Family of 2
Registration paperwork can be
picked up at The Bank of Castile
or by calling 585-356-3844.
COACHES
NEEDED
Any questions please call Mickey Hyde at 585-356-3844
or Rodney Allen at 585-943-2189
