Ossining, Port Chester seek additional funding as districts face educational cuts, teacher layoffs

Parents from Ossining and Port Chester were protesting in White Plains Saturday, calling for more state aid in their school districts.

News 12 Staff

Jan 18, 2020, 4:29 PM

Updated 1,800 days ago

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Parents from Ossining and Port Chester were protesting in White Plains Saturday, calling for more state aid in their school districts.
Ossining Union Free School District is one of several school districts facing cuts to educational programs and teachers layoffs, unless the governor can sign off on more state aid.
Over the past decade, the Ossining school district, among many others, have seen an increase of students, plus rising poverty rates and minority populations.
The state's current Foundation Aid formula considers a region's wealth and demographic information. It leaves districts like Ossining, Port Chester and Yonkers facing millions of dollars in deficits.
Created in 2008, Foundation Aid is the largest state grant program for school districts. Sen. Shelley Mayer blames the shortfall on that program not being fully funded, leaving the districts with less than 50% of their owed funding. This year's exact numbers will come out Tuesday when Gov. Andrew Cuomo announces his budget.
Sen. David Carlucci released a statement in White Plains saying, "District 38 is owed more than $80 million in foundation aid. The schools in my district are not being funded equitably based on their zip code. It's an injustice to our children."