The superintendents of the schools labeled “failing” by Gov. Andrew Cuomo are pushing back, saying economic conditions are more to blame than teachers.
Thirteen of the 17 “failing” districts signed a statement Monday asking for more funding.
They noted that the schools are in poor communities and are not funded to the full amount required by the state’s formula for school aid.
Very few schools receive the full amount, but the “failing” schools receive less than 70 percent of the aid they are supposed to get, according to the formula. Schenectady receives 55 percent.
They also argued that their students often move after only one school year, and said students tend to do much better when they stay in the same school district for 13 years.
Only about 20 percent of Schenectady’s students enroll as kindergartners and stay through 12th grade.
At Central Islip Union Free School District, also labeled as failing, about two-thirds of the students move in and out of the district.
“Research demonstrates that every time a child moves, their learning is delayed,” said Superintendent Craig Carr in a statement. “In the Central Islip Union Free School District, for example, one out of every three students remains in the district from early childhood through high school. Of that group, 88 percent graduate.”
In addition to moving many times, Schenectady schools Superintendent Laurence Spring said that poor students are more likely to experience hunger, homelessness and stress.
“These all affect school performance,” he said. He noted that teachers and school officials must help families find food and safe places to live, as well as teaching the students.
That means those schools need more money, argued Kenneth Hamilton, superintendent of Mount Vernon City School District.
“Children who live in improvised conditions require additional support in order to have the same opportunities as their counterparts,” he said. “When the state does not fully fund its own funding formula, it perpetuates the very same gaps schools are working so hard to close.”
They jointly issued a press release asking for more funding, as well as funding for preschool programs.
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