According to an article in Elmira’s Star Gazette, a parent-led effort to opt their children out of New York’s standardized tests appears to have gained momentum in recent weeks, with the head of the state’s teachers union, various labor-backed groups and even the Working Families Party of New York throwing support behind the movement.

The surge in opt-outs could may cause problems for local school districts, who are facing a threat of potential sanctions from the state Education Department if participation rates on the exams are low. If a district falls below a 95 percent participation rate, the state can impose sanctions – with the most severe punishment being a cut in federal funding.

Some officials say as many as 200,000 parents and students could opt out this year, with many of them living her in Chautauqua County. Last week during the Jamestown School board meeting, Superintendent Tim Mains briefly talked about the importance of the exams, explaining that its crucial for the district to have a high number of students take the exam because it is state law and the district is not in any kind of position to be faced with possible sanctions.

According to the Star Gazette article, the state doesn’t tally the number of parents who refused the test on their children’s behalf. But 67,000 students who didn’t take the 2014 math exam had no “known, valid” excuse, along with 49,000 students who skipped the English Language Arts test, according to the state Education Department.

The “opt out” movement gained steam last year with both parents and teachers voicing concern over the state’s widely criticized rollout of the Common Core, a more-challenging set of education standards being implemented in New York and more than 40 other states.

The New York State Assembly Chambers

ALBANY – Lawmakers in Albany are calling for a significant increase in school aid in the 2015-16 state budget.

On Monday, the New York Assembly finalized it’s version of the $150.7 billion state budget and care calling for an increase of $1.8 billion in school aid –$830 million more than the high end of Gov. Andrew Cuomo‘s proposed aid increase.

According to a report in the Albany Times Union, the Assembly released details of its one-house budget proposal Monday, including almost $24 billion in total school aid.

The proposal calls for $1 billion in foundation aid, $456 million in gap elimination adjustment restoration, and an $80 million increase in universal prekindergarten aid – which would see funding for U Pre-K go up by nearly 10 percent to $835 million.

The Assembly proposal also rejects the governor’s proposal to tie a package of education reforms to a larger school aid increase.

In January, the Governor said he’d like to see school aid increase by $1.1 billion – if lawmakers agree to his slate of reforms, which include tougher teacher evaluations and a plan that would allow “failing” schools to be taken over by outside entities.

The governor’s aid proposal increase would only be $377 million if his reforms are rejected by lawmakers.

The state Senate is also working on finalizing its version of the 2015-16 budget. Once that is completed,  leaders from both the Senate and Assembly will begin the budget reconciliation process with the Governor, in hopes of finalizing and passing a final state budget before the April 1 deadline.

ALBANY – Consolidation and sharing services among local governments and an increase in services and funding for public education were among the highlights of Governor Andrew Cuomo’s 2014 Executive Budget address, delivered to the state legislature Tuesday Afternoon in Albany.

During his address, the governor said that his plan is both a disciplined and innovative approach, and allows for tax cuts that will create jobs, grow the economy, and provide much-needed relief for struggling families.

The governor pointed to his plan to freeze property taxes for local governments, saying that if they can develop cost-saving measures in the next two years and implement them over the following three years, the state would step in and help provide relief for property tax payers.  He said a key element of reducing costs is sharing services, saying its time local governments work together to serve their constituents.

NY Governor Andrew Cuomo

“We say to the county executives, to the local government officials, ‘Sit down. Come up with a plan. Figure out shared services. Figure out consolidations. Figure out where you can find savings,'” The governor said. “It can’t be that everyone has to do everything in every government. It can’t be. It can be easier, it can be more politically advantageous. But it can’t be that there are not economies of scale in that size universe of abutting jurisdictions. Find a way to save one percent of the [tax] levy per  year, for three years.”

The governor’s Budget also makes sizable new investments in education and health care, including $1.5 billion for a fully funded Universal Full-Day Pre-K program and $720 million for an after school program over five years. As a result, under the governor’s spending plan, Cuomo said New York would become only the fourth state in the union to fully implement full-day universal pre-k program for all children in the state.

“All the educators will tell you this is the single most advantageous reform that a state can make. That the younger you get children into school, the more open and accessible their brain, the more they can take in earlier,” the governor said. “Incrediably, New York will become just the fourth state in the nation that will offer statewide universal full-day Pre K.”

Some of the other highlights of the budget include:

• Holds spending increases below 2 percent for the fourth consecutive year.
• Reduces taxes by more than $2 billion by 2016-17, using surpluses to be generated by the Governor’s commitment to holding spending at 2 percent.
• Increases education aid by $807 million, almost 4 percent, driving an average increase of nearly $300 per student.
• Authorizes $720 million over a five year period to expand after school programs.
• Proposes a $2 billion Smart Schools Bond Act to ensure that all of our children have access to the latest technology needed to compete on the global stage.
• Provides $1.2 billion in capital funding to help hospitals, nursing homes and long term care facilities restructure to provide quality community based care.

The total total spending plan is $137.2 billion dollars. It will no go to lawmakers in both the assembly and senate for their consideration. The deadline for the budget to be in place is April 1, 2014.

According to the governor’s office, the final report from the NY Education Reform Commission contains a comprehensive set of recommendations intended to continue to help transform New York’s schools.

The commission was tasked with identifying ways to increase the quality of education across the state. Recommendations from the commission’s final report include:

• Expanding early education
• Expanding the use of technology in public schools, especially schools that have not been able to keep pace.
• Rewarding the best and brightest educators, especially those that work in struggling schools.
• Replicating programs that connect high school to college in order to create greater college opportunities, especially for underrepresented students.
• Strategically invest in higher education to successfully connect students to the workforce.
• Focus on efficiencies to reinvest administrative savings into the classroom.

The last recommendation is of particular interest for rural schools, because the Commission is recommending that the state expand opportunities for shared services, reduce obstacles to the school district merger process, and provide mechanisms for the creation of regional high schools.  All of those issues have recently surfaced here in Chautauqua County.

Officials on the commission say the recommendations from the report will work toward breaking down barriers to student achievement and improving the quality of education for all students.

A complete copy of the report can be found at the governor’s website at governor.ny.gov or www.NYPuttingStudentsFirst.com.

According to young, of the $21.1 billion in state funding that is earmarked for education, over $554 million will be coming to districts in her Senate district. She adds that the final budget passed by the Senate raises education funding by more than $386 million over the Governor’s proposed budget increase of $550 million.

The funding for each individual school in her district, including Chautauqua County, has not yet been announced.

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BUSTI – The Lakewood-Busti police department is calling it an unfortunate incident. A Jamestown man killed himself Wednesday night in the Town of Busti shortly after an officer saw his car on the side of the road and stopped to offer him assistance.

Police say the incident took place on Forest Avenue Extension near Garfield Rd. As the officer stopped to help the driver of the car, the driver became visibly upset. The officer then pulled his vehicle behind the car to run a check on the license plate when the drive of the car got out and walked toward the police vehicle holding a shotgun. After the officer took evasive action, the man turned around, walked back to the front of his own vehicle, and shot himself.

No one else was hurt in the incident and other local police agencies provided assistance at the scene. Neither the name of the victim or the officer is will be released.

NEW STATE TEACHER EVALUATION POLICY TO TAKE EFFECT NEXT SCHOOL YEAR

ALBANY – Every teacher in the state soon will be evaluated under a more rigorous system – designed to more closely link teacher ratings to student growth on assessments and to reliable classroom observations. The new state requirements for teacher evaluations, announced Thursday, are intended to more accurately evaluate teachers, provide support for those deemed ineffective and hold up those considered effective as role models. A teacher rated ineffective two years in a row could face termination proceedings.

The governor, state education commissioner and president of New York State United Teachers announced the agreement, which applies to all teachers in the state as of the 2012-13 school year.

During a news conference in Albany, the three men said the agreement would position New York as a leader among other states in the federally driven effort to tie teacher evaluations to student achievement.

WHITNEY CALLS EDWARDS TO SHOW HE’S TRIED TO SAVE TO COUNTY HOME

MAYVILLE – A member of the Chautauqua County Legislature is publicly calling on the county executive to show that he’s done everything possible to make the county home in Dunkirk more sustainable. Assistant Minority Leader Bob Whitney attended the newly created Chautauqua County Home Ad Hoc Committee meeting last night, serving as the Democratic leadership’s representative on this committee created by Legislature Chairman Jay Gould and charged with recommending the fate of the Chautauqua County Home.

In a press release, Whitney said that County Executive Greg Edwards is calling the home a liability and asking the County Legislature to consider selling it. Whitney claims the home is only a liability if county lawmakers have done everything possible to make it more financially sustainable to no avail.  He said he’s calling on the County Executive to provide a record on what he’s done so far to save the Home.

The County Home subcommittee met at 7pm last night in Mayville. Monthly meetings on the third Thursday of each month at 7pm will follow.

ASSEMBLY CONSIDERS LEGISLATION TO ALIGN STATE AND FEDERAL PRIMARY DATES

ABLANY – Legislation has been introduced in the state Assembly that would align state and federal primary dates, setting both on June 26, almost three months earlier than the typical date. The bill is sponsored by Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, D-Manhattan, and Assembly Election Law Chair Michael Cusick, D-Staten Island.

A federal judge had already ruled that national primaries be held on that day in order to comply with the federal Military and Overseas Voter Empowerment Act, which was enacted to ensure absentee ballots would be counted in elections. Silver and Cusick believe that moving state primaries to coincide with federal primaries will save local municipalities money.

The new legislation will be discussed during the Election Law Committee meeting held this Wednesday in room 715 of the Legislative Office Building in Albany.

‘SOUP AND A SONG’ FUNDRAISER IS TONIGHT

JAMESTOWN  – Jamestown’s St. Susan Center will continue the monthly ”Soup and a Song” series of programs combining concerts by popular local musical groups with an ”open-mic” Starting at 6 p.m. tonight, For the modest admission price of $10, attendees will be treated to an evening of fine live musical entertainment and a meal consisting of hearty soup, several varieties of breads, crackers, desserts, coffee, tea and hot chocolate.

Proceeds from the Soup and a Song series will benefit St. Susan Center, Jamestown’s
soup kitchen. Logistical support for the Soup and a Song program is being provided by Trinity Guitars.

The Soup and a Song events will be held at St. Susan Center’s facility at Gateway Center, at 31 Water St. The public will be admitted beginning at 6 p.m., with the open-mic segment of the programs beginning at 6:30. Featured entertainers – provided by the bluegrass band Wind River – will begin playing at 7:40 p.m., and the events will conclude at 9 p.m.