|
November 2006 Vol.
XX, No. 10
|
ELECTIONS LEAVE
STATUS QUO
UNCHANGED IN LEGISLATURE
FOR SCSD |
The big story this week is, obviously, the Democratic sweep in
Washington and, of course, in Albany where all four statewide
offices, Governor, Lt. Governor, Attorney General and
Comptroller, were captured by Democratic candidates. However,
the story which is just as important but is being somewhat
ignored is the valiant effort Republicans in the State Senate
made in defense of their majority in the upper House.
Potentially losing from its majority only the closely contested
35th Senate District race (a recount is a
possibility), where Democrat Andrea Stewart-Cousins barely
nudged by Republican incumbent Nicholas Spano, the Republicans
held onto a 34-28 majority and made Senate Majority Leader
Joseph Bruno representing four small cities, Troy, Rensselaer,
Saratoga and Mechanicville, the most powerful Republican in the
state. Further, no significant change was made in those Senate
Republicans representing small city school districts. Twenty
Senate Republicans out of the total of thirty-four will have
small cities in their election districts, the same as in
2005-06. Senator Stephen Saland, Republican representing Pt.
Jervis, Poughkeepsie and Beacon and the Senate Education
Committee Chairman, fought off a strong challenger. Incumbent
Senator Ray Meier, Utica-Rome, stepped down to run
unsuccessfully for a Congressional seat, but his replacement,
Joseph A. Griffo, held onto the seat for the Republicans. In
other key races, Republicans held onto the seat of retiring John
Marchi in Staten Island and Democrats held onto the seats first
won on in 2004 in Syracuse, Valesky, and the Bronx, Klein.
Seven Senate Republicans, Bruno, Golden, Nozzolio, Seward,
Winner, Wright and Young, ran unopposed, making their job of
holding onto the majority somewhat easier. Nevertheless, with
the national landslide affecting all local New York State races
as well, the Republicans’ achievement in the Senate is just
short of miraculous. With a strong Republican Majority in the
Senate emerging from the elections, it will be a challenge for
Governor-elect Spitzer to make good on his promise that
everything will change on “day one.”
The story in the Assembly was less dramatic, with the Democrats
increasing their already overwhelming majority slightly. Of
particular note, Assemblywoman Donna Lupardo, Dem.-Binghamton,
held off the Republican challenger, former Assemblyman Jay Dinga
and Assemblywoman Barbara Lifton, Dem.-Ithaca, retained her seat
as well. As the returns are finalized in the next several weeks,
the Association will prepare an election-2006 analysis to show
trends in voting patterns in small cities. |
|
|
|
|
ELECTION
RESULTS |
The Association has looked at the
uncertified election results from the general election held on
November 8, 2006. The sweeping changes nationwide
notwithstanding, the small cities saw very few changes in
representation in Albany.
ASSEMBLY
In Assembly district 103, representing Hudson CSD, Marcus
Molinaro [R, I, C] was elected to replace Pat Manning [R] whom
Molinaro beat out for the Republican nomination during the
primary race.
Michael Cole [R, I, C] represents
Assembly district 142 which includes Lockport CSD. Cole took
over for Sandra Lee Worth [R] prior to this election.
Joseph Giglio [R, I, C] was elected to
represent Assembly District 149 which includes Olean CSD and
Salamanca CSD.
In Assembly district 114, Janet Duprey
[R, I, C] was elected in a race where the incumbent, George
Ortloff [R, I, C] was not seeking re-election. Plattsburgh CSD
is located in this district.
Pat Casale [R, C] opted not to run for
re-election representing Assembly district 108. Timothy Gordon
[I, D] was chosen to replace Casale. This small city election
was the only one where a legislator’s party was changed. Gordon
will represent part of Troy.
SENATE
In the Senate, Antoine Thompson [D, W] filled the void left by
Byron Brown when he resigned from Senate district 60. Niagara
Falls CSD and Tonawanda CSD are in this district.
In Senate district 47, held by
long-time small city ally Raymond Meier [R, C] was up for grabs
this year. Joseph Griffo [R, C] was elected to represent this
district which includes Rome CSD, Utica CSD and Sherrill CSD. |
|
|
|
|
SCSD
REPORTS WELL
RECEIVED
BY SED |
The Association received a thank you
from Deborah Cunningham, Coordinator for Educational Management
Services at SED, for providing copies of the Association’s report,
Funding for Achievement and latest paper, The Invisible
Face of CFE: New York State Small Cities in Crisis,
to both her and the Commissioner. The Commissioner asked Ms.
Cunningham
to reply on his behalf. Below is an excerpt from this message.
I share with you the concern that
small cities face many of the challenges of New York’s large
city school districts and that we need a statewide solution to
CFE. The Regents approved their proposal for 2007-08 today
[October 24, 2006] recommending a simplification of the aid
system and targeting 82 percent of a $1.48 billion increase to
high need school districts including many small city school
districts. With a new executive administration pending the
Regents are optimistic that this is an opportune time to resolve
outstanding court issues on school funding and provide all
students with an opportunity to meet state learning standards.
Thank you for your support and thoughtful analysis over the
years. It is now more important that ever. |
|
|
|
|
ASSOCIATION MEETINGS :
CO-
ORDINATION
WITH CFE AND
AQE |
Executive Director Robert Biggerstaff
traveled to NYC last month to meet with new CFE Executive
Director Geri Palast and her deputy Director, Helaine Doran.
Charles Winters, SCSD Consultant, also attended on behalf of the
Association. The purpose of the meeting was to review the
similarities and differences between the CFE Costing Out Study
and the Association’s Funding for Achievement Report. Both the
Study and the Report have been the basis for similar, but not
identical, proposals for statewide education finance reform. The
meeting was productive and will be followed up by several other
meetings which will focus on ways to accommodate those
differences. The effort to coordinate with CFE in the coming
weeks will be critical inasmuch as any settlement between the
State and CFE on its NYC lawsuit will have, potentially,
precedential value for any settlement of the Small City School
litigation and statewide reform. Coordination with CFE, and
Alliance for Quality Education (AQE), will also be important in
our communications with the State Education Department and the
new Administration, giving us greater credibility and strength
through unanimity of message.
Key issues raised in this meeting with
CFE were the need in any formula to strengthen targeting of
students with high need and the need to use weighted pupil
counts in determination of district wealth. Critical to the
targeting issue is the poverty weighting used in any formula.
The Zarb Commission Report recommended a low poverty weighting
of .35 as opposed to the FFA weighting of 1.04. Failure to
weight adequately will result in a failure to drive dollars
where they are needed most and will result in a very expensive
and therefore unacceptable formula statewide. Failure to include
weightings in pupil wealth computations will force higher tax
rates in the poorest districts, such as small city districts.
Satisfactory resolution of these two issues will be essential to
any salutary reform. As always, the devil is in the details on
any reform formula. This time, we hope we can turn that devil
into a scsd angel. |
|
|
|
|
UPCOMING
EVENTS |
November 27,
2006
Time 10:00 am
Litigation Steering Committee Meeting
Fort Orange Club
Albany
November 27,
2006
10:30 am – 12:00 pm
Board of Directors Meeting
Fort Orange Club
Albany
November 27,
2006
1:00 pm
Meeting with Commissioner Richard Mills
SED
January 21,
2007
Time TBA
Board of Directors Meeting
Desmond Hotel at NYSCOSS mid winter meeting |
|