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EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
REPORTS
TO THE ASSOCIATION
Times
Herald-Record/TARA ENGBERG
Dr. Jean Parr, Superintendent Beacon CSD
and Charles Winters, Association Consultant
*It should be noted that not only did
small city districts receive significant and above
State average aid increases for the second year running,
greater flexibility in use of Foundation Aid (the additional 25%) and an
austerity budget carve out for Foundation Aid increases were approved in
the State Budget. These have been priority issues for the Association.
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The
Association has had a very active and productive year. Thanks to the
hard work and commitment of the officers, the board, special committees
and individual member districts, the Association has had special success
this year in making small city school district needs and concerns known
to the public, the legislature and the executive.
Below is
a short synopsis of some of the activities and news from the last fiscal
year:
SEPTEMBER 27, 2006 - STATEWIDE NEWS CONFERENCE
The Association coordinated
four news conferences on September 27th around New York
(Albany, Niagara Falls, Newburgh and Jamestown) to release the report
The Invisible Face of CFE: New York State Small Cities in Crisis
(text is on our website,
http://scsd.neric.org) and garner support for our on-going education
finance lawsuit. Bob Biggerstaff, along with Albany superintendent
Eva Joseph, Cohoes superintendent Charles Dedrick and Billy Easton,
from the Alliance for Quality Education all spoke at the Albany news
conference. They were joined by representatives from Troy CSD and
Glens Falls superintendent, Thomas McGowan. All three news
affiliates were in attendance and ran stories that day. A reporter from
WAMC radio was also there along with several newspaper reporters. News
conferences were held simultaneously in Newburgh, Niagara Falls and
Jamestown. Superintendents Dr. Annette Saturnelli, Carmen Granto and
Raymond Fashano are to be thanked and complimented for their
skillful management of the conferences in their respective districts.
NOVEMBER 27, 2006 - NEW BOARD POLICY – LEGAL ADVISORY SERVICES
From time to time, Association members seek to obtain legal opinions,
advice or consultation from Association counsel on matters of specific
concern to an individual member district. The Board wishes to continue
providing such services to individual member districts at Association
expense within certain parameters so that such services may be provided
evenly throughout the membership and within the Association budget.
Therefore, it was approved that Association counsel may provide up to
five hours per year of district specific legal services to individual
member districts as requested by them, including but not limited to
legal opinions, advice and consultation.
FEBRUARY 20, 2007 - STATE AID TO EDUCATION REFORM PROGRAM – WAMC
In an effort to help the
public understand the complexities of state aid to education reform,
Charles Winters, SCSD Consultant, underwrote a panel on WAMC that aired
on February 20th. Carl Hayden, former Regents Chancellor and newly
appointed member, Board of SUNY Trustees, Frank Mauro, Executive
Director of the Fiscal Policy Institute, Mr. Winters and Robert
Biggerstaff discussed this complicated issued with Alan Chartock. The
hour long program was broadcast state-wide through WAMC sister stations.
FEBRUARY 27, 2007 - ASSOCIATION TESTIFIES BEFORE JOINT LEGISLATIVE
HEARING Executive
Director Bob Biggerstaff delivered testimony on February 27th
on behalf of the Association regarding the 2007-08 Executive Budget and
the Governor’s State Education Aid Reforms (text is posted on the
Association’s website, http://scsd.neric.org). The testimony made seven
recommendations* for change and additions to those reforms in the
following areas: 1) The need for greater flexibility in the use of
Foundation Aid for “Contract Districts”’ 2) The need for a better
regional cost factor; and 3) the need for relief in the areas of the
austerity budget cap, Charter Schools and the Debt Ceiling.
MARCH
13, 2007 - LEGISLATIVE BREAKFAST Once again a
highly successful and well attended Legislative Breakfast was held
featuring the two Education Committee Chairs, Senator Steve Saland and
Assemblywoman Catherine Nolan, and Senior Budget Examiner for Higher
Secondary and Elementary Education, Charles Foster. Discussions about
the State Budget and Contract for Excellence were lively and informative
and were held at a critical time in districts’ development of their
budgets.
Albany CSD Superintendent Dr. Eva Joseph and Senator Neil
Breslin
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Robert Biggerstaff introduces Charles Foster
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SED Commissioner Richard Mills extemporaneously speaks to our
member following breakfast |
Fulton CSD Superintendent William Lynch sits with BOE members
Janet Truong and Robbin Griffin |
APRIL
25, 2007 CENTER FOR SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT PLANNING
The
Association's Board of Directors approved the creation of the Center for
School Improvement Planning (CSIP) to help small city districts develop
strategies and programs to increase district effectiveness and student
performance. The Center is an exciting new initiative, building on the
work of the Association and tapping into the deep talent pool and
experience of Association members.
Thomas McGowan, Superintendent, Glens Falls CSD, Norma Barton,
Association President and President Canandaigua CSD BOE and Charles
Winters, long-time Association consultant, have accepted the
responsibility for advising and guiding this new center. Lonnie Palmer,
is also involved in the planning and, along with Charles Winters, will
present findings and advice to those superintendents/districts involved
in the Center. The Center will compile and analyze school district data
to help districts take a careful and balanced look at their programs.
The Center will help districts to plan for new funding that is being
phased in over the next four years by making data-based decisions on how
to most effectively use new funding to increase student performance.
The Center will be using the
Bench Mark Study approach developed by Lonnie Palmer,
former Albany Superintendent and Troy Interim Superintendent, and
Charlie Winters, former Associate Superintendent at
Newburgh, and currently Professor of School Finance at SUNY New Paltz.
It is contemplated that the Center will provide data analysis and a team
of experienced professionals to help districts analyze district
operations. Proposed activities will include support for the development
and implementation of recommended initiatives for change most likely to
succeed. The Center will provide services needed immediately, in the
near term, and in the longer term, over the next four critical years in
connection with Contracts for Excellence and with school performance,
generally.
The Center will focus initially on those districts required to prepare
Contracts for Excellence. These are districts under the greatest
pressure to improve the effectiveness of their programs. Participation
and use of Center services will, of course, be voluntary on the part of
member districts and those districts will retain control over services
provided and resources expended.
Please feel free to contact
our office if you have any questions regarding this new endeavor.
APRIL
26, 2007 Oral Argument - APPEAL – NYS Association of Small City
School Districts et al. v. State of New York
The appeal to the Appellate
Division, Third Dept., of Judge McNamara's decision and order
dismissing our amended complaint was argued before Supreme Court
Justices Spain, Mercure, Mugglin, Carpinello and Kane in Albany. The
Third Dept. had previously decided the NYCLU case and had
familiarity with the issues. A decision is expected in July (see Oral
Argument Recap below).
MAY
20-21, 2007 - ASSOCIATION’S 21st ANNUAL CONFERENCE PATHWAYS
TO EXCELLENCE In conjunction with SUNY
Albany Department of Education, SED and Cohoes and Binghamton CSD school
administrations, the Association held its annual conference and focused
on research and data based programs and methodologies for improving
school and student performance. The Dean of the SUNY Albany Education
School, the Chairman of its Reading Department and the Governor’s new
Senior Deputy Secretary for Education were among the featured speakers,
making the two day conference interesting and worthwhile..
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Susan Phillips, Dean
School of Education
SUNY Albany
May 21, 2007
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Senior Deputy Secretary
for Education Manuel Rivera and Robert Biggerstaff, May 21, 2007
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SCSD APPEAL ORAL ARGUMENT RECAP
“Small city school districts will not
abandon the fight to obtain state funding sufficient to provide a sound
basic education for all children in the state and we intend to pursue
this litigation until meaningful education reform has been achieved.”
Charles Dedrick, Superintendent of Cohoes CSD
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The oral argument on the
appeal of the McNamara decision in the SCSD case went well. The
Justices asked numerous pointed questions, indicating a good grasp of
the issues. Justice Carpinello asked first whether the case was 'moot'
since the State Budget had raised State Aid to Education this year. We
were able to point out that the 18 plaintiff districts remained
considerably short of full funding despite that increase. Justice Spain
remarked that the Court of Appeals had observed that NYC was 'unique' in
its problems with education. We were able to refer him to that day’s
front page of the Times Union which reported that Albany's
graduation rate was the lowest in the state and that four out of five of
the lowest area districts were small city districts.
It seemed that the Court had
great concern over granting the Association standing to sue when the
districts and school boards themselves could not sue. This is a novel
issue which will require the Court to 'make new law,' never a
comfortable position for judges. The Court also focused primarily on the
specificity issue, i.e. should the amended complaint specify education
failings for each of the 18 districts. If the Court finds for the State
on this, the amended complaint would be lengthened considerably.
As we have said before, this
appeal does not relate to the merits of the case. Whatever the decision
is, the case will be able to move ahead once the appeal is disposed of
by the Court.
The Appellate Division usually
takes five to six weeks to render a decision. We believe that in any
event, a decision will be issued before the Court's next term begins in
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