Assemblywoman Russell has secured $150,000 in supplemental aid over the last two years for the district, including $100,000 for the 2016-17 school year.
She said she learned during her visit with Sackets Harbor Central School Superintendent Frederick C. Hall Jr. that the $100,000 in supplemental aid was the equivalent of a 2.5 percent increase in the district's tax rate.
"That supplemental aid allowed them to keep their property taxes in check again this year. They have had to make serious cuts over the past several years, and this supplemental aid helped retain programs like music and arts and stave off other cuts," Assemblywoman Russell noted.
She said the 2016-17 budget included the funding necessary to eliminate the the district's remaining $192,997 liability under the Gap Elimination Adjustment, but the district did not receive any increase in its Foundation Aid.
"Sackets Harbor is an average needs district, and they have presented their district residents with fiscally conservative budgets for several years in a row. They suffer from the same problem as the Alexandria Bay and Thousand Islands school districts. Their property values are skewed by expensive waterfront property," according to Assemblywoman Russell.
But she said the true picture of the district shows there are a significant number of residents living in or near poverty. "Approximately 30 percent of the students in the district receive free or reduced lunches," according to the assemblywoman.
Assemblywoman Russell said visits with school leaders and teachers in the assembly district provide her with a solid understanding of the challenges facing the districts she represents in Albany.
"The numbers don't always add up in the state aid formula when we look at some of our North Country school districts. That's why I work to secure supplemental aid for these schools so they have the resources they need to serve all of their students. It's something I focus on," she noted.
Assemblywoman Russell secured over $1 million in supplemental aid for the current school year for school districts in the River District.
That additional funding, on top of state aid, included $300,000 for OFA; $250,000 for the Watertown City School District; $100,000 to Sackets Harbor; $50,000 for Alexandria, Heuvelton, Lisbon, Morristown and Potsdam; and $30,000 for Hammond.
Assemblywoman Russell had also secured $1 million in supplemental aid for North Country districts in the 2015-16 school year. Districts receiving this aid included Alexandria, Canton, LaFargeville, Lyme, Massena, Ogdensburg, Sackets Harbor and Watertown.
