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Beginning with the 2009-10 school year, the state has deducted from each school district’s state aid allocation an amount known as the Gap Elimination Adjustment to help the state fill what was then a $10 billion budget deficit.
The GEA has put a huge strain on local schools and has had a direct impact on the school taxes we pay to make up the deficit of state school aid loss. Since the adjustment went into effect five years ago, it has cost schools across the state upward of $8 billion, Putnam Valley's cumulative loss has been $3.9 million.
Since that time, the states deficit has been eliminated, yet the Gap Elimination Adjustment remains in practice. At this point, if they continue to cut more state aid via GEA, our school taxes will have to make up the deficit of losing any state school aid to meet there budgets.
State Sen. Sue Serino joined fellow lawmakers in launching a petition calling for an end to the state’s Gap Elimination Adjustment.
Anyone with an interest in eliminating the GEA please sign Serino’s petition calling for an end to the state’s Gap Elimination Adjustment.
Homeowners, community members, parents and teachers are strongly encouraged to sign the petition.
This may be our biggest shot of lowering our school taxes by way of restoring state aid to our school districts.
Putnam Valley School Superintendent Fran Wills said “she fully supports the elimination of the GEA. Our district has lost $3.9 million since the 2009-10 school year. Clearly the reduction of state aid has impacted educational programming, eroded the district's ability to identify revenue from sources other than taxes, and created tensions in communities in a difficult economic environment. Putnam Valley has been working with other school districts and legislators to further a more generous application of state resources to schools. Your assistance in raising awareness and obtaining alliances at every level of government is greatly appreciated.”
It is also most important that our school board continue to find ways to reduce the overall expenses of school operations.
If the effort to eliminate the GEA is successful our school board should not take the additional school aid as a win fall but use it to reduce the tax burden on its residents.
So I urge all residents to contact there state senator to do the same as Serino, Please take a moment and sign the petition, the link is below: http://www.nysenate.gov/webform/help-support-our-kids-end-gea-budget-cuts-0
Dan Vera
Member of The Citizens Advisory Committee PV School District
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