We congratulate the three new members of the Board of Regents who were appointed today by the New York State Legislature:  Luis Reyes, Nan Mead and Elizabeth Smith Hakanson.

About one in eight school districts will have to decrease the amount they can raise in property taxes in the 2016-17 school year over the current year when they bring their budgets to voters in May in order to comply with the tax cap – unless they can convince at least 60 percent of voters to override the cap, according to data released today by the New York State Comptroller. 

The state’s leading education organizations today unanimously recommended that New York reform its receivership law to create a more reasonable timeframe to turn-around struggling schools, and to commit additional funding to create more community schools and better conditions for teaching and learning in these schools.

Today’s announcement that property tax levy growth for school districts will be capped at 0.12 percent next year will create a hardship for school districts and their ability to meet student needs.

That’s because schools will not be able to raise any meaningful new revenue without obtaining a 60 percent supermajority in support of their budget – a very challenging task.

FOR RELEASE: January 13, 2016                        

The theme of Gov. Cuomo's State of the State and budget proposal was "Built to Lead," but perhaps a more fitting description might be "A Work in Progress." 

While the governor suggested many laudable programs in our public schools, his funding proposal for enacting those programs falls short. 

FOR RELEASE: December 10, 2015                         

Governor Cuomo’s Common Core Task Force has made several sensible recommendations that will help restore trust and confidence in New York’s public education system.

FOR RELEASE: December 9, 2015                         

 Bergtraum of Long Island elected president of the state School Boards Association;

Miller, Langstaff, Nespeca elected board officers

Susan Bergtraum of Old Westbury, NY was elected president of the New York State School Boards Association. Her one-year term begins Jan. 1, 2016.

FOR RELEASE: November 20, 2015                         

Report finds student test anxiety greater on state than local exams;
study also finds adults have a significant impact on student test anxiety

Joint School Board-School Psychologist Research Report Examines Test Anxiety

About three-quarters (76 percent) of school psychologists in New York say their students experience greater anxiety over state tests than for local assessments, according to a new research report issued jointly today by the New York State School Boards Association (NYSSBA) and the New York Association of School Psychologists (NYASP).

FOR RELEASE: November 16, 2015                         

Nearly four in 10 school board members (38 percent) would consider asking voters to exceed their property tax cap in 2016 if their districts' cap were essentially zero percent, according to a poll by the New York State School Boards Association (NYSSBA). 

Such a move would require 60 percent voter approval.

"With no growth allowed in their tax levies, we expect more school boards to attempt a tax cap override in order to meet their rising expenses," said Timothy G. Kremer, NYSSBA's executive director. "We'll know more in 2016 when school boards begin the budgeting process in earnest and share various budgeting scenarios with their communities."