Laurens CSD to host public hearing on school funding

Jun. 13—The Laurens Central School District was chosen as one of five places across the state to host a public hearing about state education funding.

The Rockefeller Institute of Government announced in a media release Thursday, June 13, that it will hold five public hearings across New York on the state's Foundation Aid education funding formula.

The institute was tasked to conduct a study to assess the Foundation Aid formula and discuss potential updates and modifications to how the formula is calculated the enacted 2024-25 state budget.

In addition to Laurens, hearings are scheduled to be held in New York City, Buffalo, Farmingdale and Guilderland in July and August.

"Sites were chosen across New York state to ensure a broad and diverse range of education stakeholders had an opportunity to offer testimony," Joel Tirado, director of communications Rockefeller Institute, said an in email Thursday.

Laurens Superintendent William Dorritie said in an email Thursday that the institute wanted "to hold one of those forums in a small rural school district who could face serious fiscal stress depending on how the formula is revamped. One of the employees of the Rockefeller Institute is a Laurens graduate, so we are thrilled that they requested that we be a host site for one of these forums."

As part of the study, researchers at the institute will collect feedback from the public and from education stakeholders, including school families, teachers, staff, administrators, school boards, appointed and elected officials, education researchers and experts and education-focused support and advocacy organizations, the release stated.

Stakeholders can provide comments about the Foundation Aid formula in two ways: by providing verbal testimony at a public hearing and by submitting written comment through an online form.

"Governor Hochul proposed drastic changes to Foundation Aid in her FY 2025 Executive Budget that would have negatively impacted a large number of districts, especially small rural districts like ours that have experienced declining enrollment," Dorritie said. "Both houses of the state legislature rejected her proposal and the final state budget maintained 'save harmless,' which means that no school district will get less state education aid than it did in the prior year. As part of the budget agreement the Rockefeller Institute has been tasked with analyzing the Foundation Aid formula with the goal of making recommendations to the governor about state education aid funding moving forward."

The public hearings at Laurens Central School, 55 Main Street, Aug. 8, and at Guilderland High School, 8 School Road, Aug. 14, will be broken into two public comment sessions, the release stated.

Beginning at 2 p.m., invited stakeholders, including district leaders, academic experts, elected officials and representatives from professional organizations and unions will offer testimony. Dorritie said he plans to speak at the Aug. 8 meeting.

Interested members of the public will be able to speak about Foundation Aid and potential changes to it beginning at 5:30 p.m., the release stated.

Prospective speakers must register through an online form. Registered speakers will have up to two minutes each to speak, and all verbal testimony will be recorded and posted publicly.

There may be an opportunity for day-of registration to speak at the hearing, as space permits. All interested stakeholders, whether speaking or not, have the opportunity to submit feedback or comment in advance through the website.

To register in advance to speak at one of the hearings, visit https://tinyurl.com/3vtk4skr. The website includes information about what Foundation Aid is, why the study is being conducted, why the formula needs to be changed and will include links so people can watch the public hearings online. The website also has an online where people can submit written comments.

The institute will review all verbal and written comment from stakeholders collected at the public hearings and via the online submission platform and incorporate it into its final report, which is due Dec. 1 and will be delivered to the governor and temporary president of the senate and speaker of the assembly, Tirado said.

Vicky Klukkert, staff writer, can be reached at vklukkert@thedailystar.com or 607-441-7221.