Advocacy For Our Schools

Advocacy For Our Schools

Click the headline below to view the associated advocacy information.

Join Us in Advocating for Public School Funding!

Dear Croton-Harmon School District Community,

We are writing to ask everyone in the Croton-Harmon educational community to join the Board of Education, administration and other Westchester/Putnam school districts in advocating with state legislators to protect critical funding for New York State Public Schools.

Over the next week, the New York State legislature will be finalizing details of its 2021-22 budget. It is an important time for them to hear from constituents about educational priorities.

To expedite this process, the Westchester Putnam School Boards Association (WPSBA) and the Lower Hudson Education Coalition (LHEC) of district superintendents have collaborated on a Voter Voice letter template, “NYS Public Education Funding,” that is simple to personalize and send to your elected officials.

At our March 11, 2021 meeting, the Board addressed public school funding by passing a resolution that was sent to our state representatives and key legislators working on the state's education budget.

NY Schools have been enduring a fiscal crisis brought about by the need to spend millions of dollars for unanticipated pandemic expenses while simultaneously losing millions in revenue because of the pandemic's effects on the economy. Here in Croton-Harmon, it is estimated that the pandemic has cost our district $600,000 in increased operating expenses, as well as lost revenue from county sales tax, investment income, and rental fees from outside organizations utilizing district facilities.

This budget cycle, NY State has proposed a series of technical initiatives that will chip away school funding, in some cases permanently, at a time when schools, students, families and staff are especially vulnerable and need additional support.

For those who wish to have a more detailed overview of these initiatives, we've included a link to a six-page graphic developed by WPSBA in an attempt to give clarity. Professional legislative advocates working for the New York State School Board Association have described this as the most complicated school budget they have ever encountered.

Members of the Board Advocacy Committee recently met with State Senator Peter Harckham and Assemblywoman Sandy Galef, along with representatives from other constituent districts as organized by WPSBA, to advocate for appropriate levels of funding for our district. Both expressed that having numerous members of the public weigh in to support school funding would be essential to their success in defending it.

For more information, or to share ideas about advocating for public school funding, please contact the Croton-Harmon Board Advocacy Committee team:

Ana Teague, Ana.Teague@chufsd.org
Anamika Bhatnagar, Anamika.Bhatnagar@chufsd.org
Joshua Diamond, Joshua.Diamond@chufsd.org

We are grateful that Croton-Harmon is a community that so strongly supports education. Thank you for considering this advocacy initiative. Please also consider reaching out to your Croton-Harmon friends and neighbors and ask them to join you in this action.

Sincerely,
Croton-Harmon Board Advocacy Committee