EAST SYRACUSE – Representing more than half of New York State’s public school systems – including districts in Chenango County – the Statewide School Finance Consortium recently released an in-depth analysis focused on declining state support for public schools. The report also addresses the performance of the 20 state senators who represent the approximately 350 school districts that make up the SSFC’s membership.

According to financial expert and SSFC Executive Director Dr. Rick Timbs – a former educator, superintendent, athletic director, principal and union president – state aid formulas and members of the state senate are shortchanging public schools, their students and communities as a whole.

“At the end of the day, the conclusions we reached in our report cry out for one thing ... fairness,” stated Timbs in a recent SSFC press release. “Is it fair that children in New York will have significantly fewer educational opportunities only because they live in a less wealthy or poor community? Aren’t these all our children? Don’t they all deserve the same chance?”

In November, Timbs met with members of the Chenango County School Boards Association to discuss long-standing disparities in state aid across the state.

Among the report’s conclusions:

• With no changes in the state aid formula, an estimated 100 to 150 school districts will not have sufficient revenue or cash reserves to sustain themselves and will face the prospect of financial insolvency within the next one to two years.

• Under the new Tax Cap law, wealthier school districts which are less dependent on state aid will be able to raise more money than less wealthy districts. Attaining the 60 percent super majority to go above the “tax levy limit” mandated in the new law will likely be unrealistic in these communities, which will force schools to continue an unsustainable process of further cuts to staff and program and use of reserves to stay in operation.