Dear Rochester City School Board,

Please be more visible with your advocacy. Your voice is important. COVID19 threatens to cut crucial funding to state, local and school district budgets, harming the students and families that need it the most. We can all agree, leadership to make the hard decisions and find revenue for increased state and federal support is essential for us to survive. Join the thousands of New Yorkers, calling on our State and Federal leaders to act.

It is important that we hear your voice and see your actions. We know you are working hard, it is important that this work is visible. Do so by passing the following resolution and promote it widely.

Additionally, please wait and consider whether we will be able to secure potential federal and state levels before you make painful cuts too soon.

Please urge the NYS State legislature to push the Division of the Budget to;

• Utilize and exhaust all the Rainy Day, Settlement and Economic Uncertainty Funds. These funds are for this very purpose, the double crisis of COVID-19 and the economic collapse of the state economy. Per the state’s financial plan, there is $8.99 billion dollars in these funds; and  
• Fully utilize the borrowing abilities granted by Congress by using the Federal Reserve's Municipal Liquidity Facility Program.

Please urge the U.S. Senate to join the House of Representatives and pass the Federal HEROES ACT Today!

It will take all of our voices, all of our leadership to ensure we can FUND OUR FUTURE!

PLEASE JOIN THE FIGHT!

Thank you,

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Resolution in Support of State and Federal Support for Public Schools to Prevent the COVID-19 Shutdown from Damaging Education In New York State

Whereas, New York State has reported a $13 billion budget deficit, which has been exacerbated by declining state revenues due to the COVID-19 crisis;

Whereas, states need significant support from the Federal Government to help ensure the immediate continuation of important and essential services, such as public education;

Whereas, the Federal-State partnership is the lynchpin to responding and recovering from the COVID-19 crisis;

Whereas, the State has the primary responsibility to fund public education;

Whereas, Article XI, Section 1 of the New York State Constitution provides that the “The legislature shall provide for the maintenance and support of a system of free common schools, wherein all the children of this state may be educated”;

Whereas state courts have upheld that the State has the legal responsibility to provide proper funding for public schools;

Whereas, the State, on average, provides less than 40% of the total revenues to school districts;

Whereas, public school districts are owed over $3.8 billion in Foundation Aid for the 2020-21 school year;  

Whereas, the State Legislature is considering multiple proposals that will raise much needed revenue for New York State, including increasing taxes on billionaires and multi-millionaires;

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the [INSERT NAME OF YOUR GOVERNMENT BODY HERE] requests that the elected leaders in the State of New York act to preserve education programs and related jobs to ensure that the COVID-19 crisis does not damage the quality of public education in our state;

RESOLVED FURTHER that the [INSERT NAME OF YOUR GOVERNMENT BODY HERE] urges the State Legislature to act and immediately pass legislation that will increase revenue before the end of this legislative session;

RESOLVED FURTHER that we request the Federal Government to provide additional support to public education to assist states that have had revenue losses due to the COVID-19 crisis.

Respectfully submitted,