To run for the school board, you need to get the required number of signatures on a nominating petition. In the past, that number has been 100. This year, as a consequence of the pandemic, the number of signatures required has been reduced to 50. Petitions must be submitted by 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday, April 27, to Leslie Coons. the District Clerk. To get a petition, you need to contact Coons at 518 828-4360 ext. 2100 or by email at coonsl@hudsoncsd.org.
It appears there is a new requirement this year. To become a candidate for the school board, you must provide the first page of your federal income tax return. The following item appears in the minutes from the March 16 meeting of the Board of Education:
- ASBO recommends checking the first page of federal tax returns to verify primary residency of candidates. The District will follow this recommendation going forward.
I was also curious to know what ASBO stands for, so I Googled it to learn it was Association of School Budget Officials. Exploring the ASBO website, I discovered this statement from ASBO executive director Brian Cechnicki about the 2021-2022 New York State budget:
We are thrilled with the investments in education that the Legislature and Governor have committed to in this year’s Enacted Budget. In addition to the funds the federal government is providing from the December Stimulus and the American Rescue Plan, the state is reaffirming its commitment to education and is providing significant resources to school districts at a time when they are sorely needed. Instead of seeing reduced state aid, as we have feared since January, schools will witness a $3 billion increase, the largest in the state’s history.
Furthermore, after years of promises, the Foundation Aid formula is finally being put on a full phase-in schedule, with districts expecting to receive their full allocation by the 2023-24 school year. This legislation provides the necessary predictability and stability that will help school business officials develop their budgets for the coming years.
District officials will now face the challenge of effectively utilizing these state and federal funds, and we are committed to helping our members navigate those challenges in the coming months.
One wonders if this anticipated bounty will bring any relief to HCSD taxpayers.
COPYRIGHT 2021 CAROLE OSTERINK
Wonder no more. Today, 5/7, received my HCSD newsletter about the upcoming budget. Any additional state and federal funds are off the table. The budget continues to increase while the enrollment and student performance declines -- that is not on the students, it is on the educators. Meanwhile we are told that there cannot be any relief to taxpayers based on the state and federal increases because this is a one time injection of funds and the district is involved in long term planning. The only long term plan I see is to increase the budget every year regardless of enrollment or performance. This is a disgrace. I would be ok with paying above average taxes to a school district that was delivering for students. We are paying above average taxes for a district that is failing students and delivering for themselves.
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