Khoury:
“… now there’s a $4 billion surplus”
NEW PALTZ – Representatives from all nine Ulster County school
districts held a “super meeting” to bring awareness to their
call for the elimination of the state’s Gap Elimination Adjustment.
At the meeting held on Friday at the Ulster BOCES center in New Paltz,
school board members, superintendents and educators announced that they
currently have over 1,500 signatures on a petition calling for the end
of GAP.
The Gap Elimination Adjustment was put into place in the 2009-2010 school
year and was utilized as a way to close the state’s budget deficit.
The state continues to take a percentage of money from the state aid they
provide to schools.
Ulster BOCES District Superintendent Dr. Charles Koury said there is
no need to continue the GAP.
“There used to be a $10 billion deficit, now there’s a $4
billion surplus,” Khoury said. “Yet, they still haven’t
taken away the Gap Elimination Adjustment and so, if the purpose was to
close a deficit and the deficit doesn’t exist anymore, it should
go away.”
New York is currently ranked 44th in the nation on school aid equity. Ruth Quinn, vice president of New Paltz Board of Education said compared to 2009, they are receiving less aid and that it is “astounding.”
Ulster County schools have lost approximately $116 million to the program
over the last five years.
Members of the school board are due to take the petition to Albany within this month.
Dr. Corey has asked that the public educate themselves on the matter because he believes resident involvement will gain the legislature’s attention.
Ulster County schools will probably be competing with other municipalities,
SUNY schools and government healthcare for part of the surplus; however,
Dr. Corey says he believes the school districts have an advantage in that
they have paid the money into the program through their own aid.
