Assemblywoman Carrie Woerner (D-Round Lake) was joined by several area superintendents, parents and students at a press conference she held in which she called for the repeal of the Gap Elimination Adjustment (GEA). Woerner introduced legislation that would eliminate the GEA rate for 2015-16 and thereafter and provide schools with the full amount of aid generated by all existing funding formulas (A.2271).

“Our schools lost out on over $18 million in promised aid in 2014,” said Assemblywoman Woerner. “Our state currently has a surplus of over $5 billion and by using a portion of that money we can do away with the GEA, properly fund our schools and save taxpayers’ dollars.

Several area superintendents joined Assemblywoman Woerner’s call for a repeal of the GEA. In attendance were WSWHE BOCES Superintendent Jim Dexter, Argyle Superintendent Jan Jehring, Hartford Superintendent Andrew Cook, Hudson Falls Superintendent Mark Doody, Greenwich Superintendent Mark Fish, Fort Ann Superintendent Kevin Froates, Schuylerville Superintendent Ryan Sherman and Salem Superintendent Dave Glover. Also in attendance was Greenwich Supervisor Sara Idleman.

In addition to her legislation, Assemblywoman Woerner has started an online petition calling on the state to eliminate the GEA. She is asking those who support the state fully funding education to join her in this fight and sign. The petition can be found on her Assembly website at http://assembly.state.ny.us/mem/Carrie-Woerner.

“Since its implementation, the Gap Elimination Adjustment has had a devastating effect on the quality of education that the Hartford Central School District is able to offer our students,” said Andrew Cook, Hartford Central School District Superintendent. “Since 2010, the students of Hartford have been withheld over $3.9 million. This reduction in aid has a direct consequence in the district, abolishing opportunities for extracurricular activities, reducing faculty and staff, and eliminating academic programs such as Business and Home & Careers.”

The Gap Elimination Adjustment (GEA) was first introduced for the 2010-11 fiscal year as a way to help close New York’s then $10 billion budget deficit. Under the legislation, a portion of the state’s funding shortfall is divided among all the school districts in New York based on a formula, and each district’s state aid is then reduced accordingly. The GEA has remained in effect to help the state address its budget challenges and priorities other than education. Statewide, school districts are still owed over $1 billion in promised state aid. The Gap Elimination Adjustment has unfairly burdened school districts and taxpayers throughout the state, increasing the dependence on local property taxes and taxpayers to make up the difference

“It is our responsibility to ensure our students receive a strong education that will enable them to succeed in the global economy. That begins with fully funding our schools and eliminating the GEA,” concluded Woerner.