Seward Calls For Budget That Addresses School Funding Problems

State Senator James Seward has called on assembly Democrats to join with senate Republicans in passing a final state budget that will address the Gap Elimination Adjustment (GEA) which has denied school districts millions of dollars in education aid.

“The GEA fiasco was a bad idea when first approved in 2010, and it continues to hurt our local schools, taxpayers and children today. As a member of the budget conference committee on education, I have been working to address this very specific and very serious school aid problem. Unfortunately, far too many Democrats in Albany are still focused on other priorities in budget negotiations,” said Seward.

He added: “I have met with parents, teachers and school administrators in schools throughout my Senate District and they have made clear that eliminating the GEA as quickly as possible is a critical priority. That’s why I am calling on the assembly Democrats to join with the senate Republicans in increasing funding to address the very serious problems created by GEA."

Further comments from Senator Seward: