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Education chairman visits Genesee County, says funding inequality needs to be addressed

By Howard B. Owens

At the invitation of Sen. Michael Ranzenhofer, Sen. John Flanagan was in Genesee County on Thursday to meet with local education leaders to discuss school funding.

In a press briefing after the meeting at Genesee Community College, Ranzenhofer and Flanagan said the focus of the discussion was on the inequality of state aid among districts statewide.

"Our obligation is to find some plan that is equitable," said Flanagan, chairman of the Senate Education Committee. "I will tell you flat out that coming here, working with Senator Ranzenhofer regularly, even before coming here, you get a much clearer picture about the stark realities in this area."

The lack of equitable funding often means that Upstate and rural school districts are not able to offer some of the programs that help lead to admission into better colleges.

"There is a growing divide between the haves and have-nots," said Michael Glover, district superintendent for the Genesee Valley Educational Partnership. "We've actually watched our schools and the kids who attend them fall further and further behind."

Flanagan said one of the goals coming out of meetings such as today's is to craft a budget plan to present to the governor.

"Hopefully, we can get him on board early in the process," Flanagan said.

Mark Potwora

Show us the money...Talk is cheap...the State cut school aid..Took away the school tax rebate we were getting..What did they do with that money..Give it back......Como did go around the State claiming that the administrators were over paid and that was part of the problem with school budgets..Has Batavia cut any administrators pay..

Nov 17, 2011, 6:35pm Permalink
Bea McManis

Almost as excited as he was when he promised to look into the DOT and the problem with the duration of the lights at the corners of Vine and Main, Ross and Main, Elm and Main for senior citizens who take their lives in the hands when trying to get across Main St.
Promises, promises...he never got back to us and that was the DAY before the election a year ago.

Nov 18, 2011, 10:31am Permalink

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