A school district’s ability to educate its students in a way that will properly prepare them to achieve success now is essential for our communities to thrive. However, an unfortunate reality is that while the dedicated teachers and staff of the Ossining School District work tirelessly to educate our students, the Foundation Aid the school receives from New York State has remained frozen for the past several years, forcing our District to stretch financial resources to make ends meet.

Foundation Aid is calculated based on a number of factors, including poverty level of a school district, enrollment figures, property values, and needs of a district. While every school district in the state has experienced a similar freeze since the 2009, the State must reconsider the needs of our District.

· Since 2008, there has been a 14.2% increase in enrollment.

· 51% of Ossining students qualify for Free or Reduced Lunch, which has increased 24.7% in the past 3 years.

· The District has experienced a declining combined wealth ratio, which means the tax base is shrinking and lowering in value.

As a result, our students are the ones paying the price and I strongly believe their education should not be burdened by politics. Ossining deserves their fair share of Foundation Aid funding and I will do all in my power to secure more funding for our district. Join me in urging Governor Cuomo, Speaker Carl Heastie, Senate Majority Leader John Flanagan, Senate Education Committee Chair Carl Marcellino, Assembly Education Committee Chair Catherine Nolan and Assembly Ways and Means Chair Herman "Denny" Farrell Jr to unfreeze Foundation Aid for the Ossining School District.