To: The New York State House, The New York State Senate, and Governor Andrew Cuomo
Fix Educational Funding NOW!
Ulster County Schools are in trouble. Highland is among just one of the school districts struggling under the current system. Despite having developed budgets at or below contingency levels for the past five years, negotiating contracts below the regional average, and running the district with a cost per pupil more than $4500 less than the Ulster County average, our taxpayers continue to shoulder increased taxes driven by the cost of mandates and loss of State Aid. Our Ulster County schools cannot survive under this model. It is time for accountability in Albany for the continuing expenses of mandates. It is time to reform the way schools are funded. It is time to restore and maintain levels of State Aid so schools can control the cost of taxes on the local level.
Why is this important?
Reinstate funding to our schools! Reform costly mandates that keep us rooted to an antiquated educational system! Reinvent the tax system into an equitable formula that does not place funding schools on the backs of property owners.