Barclay Plan Will Strengthen Schools, Ensure Quality Education for Kids Across Central and Northern New York
Joins Local Teachers to Explain Plan to Enhance Funding,
Safety, Accountability and Performance in Region



MEDIA RELEASE

WATERTOWN, N.Y., Feb. 21  —  Assemblyman Will Barclay, candidate for the 48th Senate District, today joined local teachers and concerned parents to unveil his comprehensive plan to ensure a quality education, outstanding teachers, and a safe, secure learning environment for thousands of children from Central and Northern New York.

Assemblyman Barclay, who has been endorsed by the 585,000 members of New York State United Teachers (NYSUT), has pledged to block Governor Spitzer's efforts to reduce promised funding for our local schools, and will help to ensure fair and equitable funding for schools in our region. 

"Governor Spitzer's budget—which Darrel Aubertine said he supports—shortchanges our local schools," Barclay said. "From cutting promised funding, to taking safety officers out of our schools, Governor Spitzer's budget is unfair to our kids and I'm going to fight against it tooth-and-nail in Albany.

"I believe that every child in Central and Northern New York deserves outstanding schools and a quality education so that they are fully prepared to meet the challenges of the 21st century. That's why my comprehensive plan will stop the Governor's budget cuts, provide strong support for our teachers, and help to ensure excellence and accountability in our classrooms."

Among the major components and goals of Barclay's comprehensive education plan are the following: 

- Full and Fair Funding: The Assemblyman's plan will block the Governor's funding cuts, and provide our local schools with the funding they were promised in the historic four-year education plan adopted by the State last year.

- Improving Teaching Quality: The plan includes a number of initiatives to assist teachers, and provide them with the training and support they need to raise test scores and meet standards of excellence.

- Improve School Safety: The plan will ensure a safe, secure learning environment for our children and school employees, and stop Governor Spitzer from withdrawing Troopers and School Resource Officers from our local schools.

- Enhance Academic Programs: The package will enhance the current academic offerings to ensure our children have every opportunity to succeed in the 21st century.

- Farm-to-School Programs: The plan will offer local farmers with expanded markets in our schools across New York State to sell their healthy, locally grown food.

Fair and Equitable Funding:

Assemblyman Barclay's plan builds on the historic four-year $7 billion school aid increase enacted last year to provide our schools with the resources they need to provide the highest quality education for our children. In contrast, the budget advanced by Governor Spitzer takes promised money away from our schools in order to redirect it to other parts of the State. 

Governor Spitzer's budget cuts education funding for Jefferson, Oswego, and St. Lawrence counties by $5 million from what was promised, while at the same time redirecting these funds to New York City—providing the city with almost $200 million more than the State's new "fair formula" was supposed to provide.

The Governor is also proposing to shift $46 million in costs associated with educating preschool special education programs from the State to local property taxpayers. The Barclay plan rejects this proposal so that we don't further burden property taxpayers.


Assemblyman Barclay believes our Central and Northern New York schools must be properly funded, both in order to ensure quality schools and educational opportunities, and to help keep local property taxes down. That's why he will lead the fight to block Governor Spitzer's budget plan from moving forward.

School Safety:

* Troopers in Schools: Governor Spitzer's Budget—which Darrel Aubertine said he supports—also endangers the safety of our local schools, children and teachers by pulling 92 Troopers from more than 100 districts across the State. This includes at least six schools in Jefferson and Oswego Counties, including: Belleville-Henderson, Carthage, General Brown, South Jefferson, and Thousand Island in Jefferson County, and Central Square in Oswego.

State Police officials have cited the critical value of these School Resource Officers (SRO's) in ensuring a safe and secure learning environment. In just the current school year, State Police SROs responded to more than 2500 criminal calls, including 38 bomb threats, made over 1000 arrests and confiscated nearly 100 illegal weapons.

As a result of information gleaned from students, an SRO thwarted a planned attack in one New York school that was to coincide with the 11th anniversary of the Columbine school shootings, the testimony revealed. In other cases, SROs have intervened to prevent more than 170 potential suicides, regularly acting as mentors to troubled students. 

Assemblyman Barclay has pledged to vigorously oppose the Governor's plan to withdraw these Troopers, and will fight to ensure both a safe workplace for teachers, a well as a safe, secure learning environment for our kids. 


* Protecting Good Teachers and the Children That They Serve: 
The Governor's budget includes a 50% funding cut for the state office that oversees fingerprinting and criminal background checks on school employees. The elimination of this important funding will only serve to slow down the ability of SED to ensure a quality teacher in every single classroom. Assemblyman Barclay will fight to restore this shortsighted funding cut in order to protect our children and keep our schools safe.


* Harassment on School Grounds: 
Will Barclay's plan will increase penalties for those who harass students or employees on school grounds. Currently, harassing a school student or employee is a violation which carries a maximum penalty of only 15 days. Harassment is a serious issue and should be a Class A misdemeanor and should carry up to a one year jail sentence. If such harassment is persistent the crime should be a Class E felony with a jail term of up to four years. 


Outstanding Teachers: 

Unfortunately, the Governor has not proposed any new funding to help our teachers increase their skills so that they can better educate our children. In contrast, Will Barclay believes we must create a world class 21st century school system with the best trained teachers. That's why his proposal provides strong support for an array of programs and initiatives designed to strengthen teacher training and support programs. 

These include: 

* Teacher Centers: These Centers provide additional professional development to teachers that help them improve test scores. Funding for these Centers is not increased in the Governor's budget at a time when we are asking our teachers to do more with our students. Assemblyman Will Barclay will provide increased support for our local Teacher Centers, such as the Jefferson-Lewis Center, the Oswego Center, and St. Lawrence Valley Center so they can continue to provide quality services.

* Mentor Inexperienced Teachers: The Mentor/Intern Program needs to be expanded to ensure that all new teachers are given the mentoring they need to succeed in our schools. This program, which the Governor's budget provides no additional funding for, needs additional support from the State, and Will Barclay will fight to secure this funding.

* Nationally Certified Teachers: All of New York's teachers are required to be State certified, however a rigorous national certification process is also available. The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards grant program, which helps to defray the cost of this certification process, should be expanded so all teachers can improve their teaching skills.


Enhanced Academic Programs: 

Because Will Barclay is a strong supporter of innovative programs designed to ensure that our children have the very best schools and educational opportunities we can provide. That's why his plan includes initiatives such as: 

* Career Education Internships: Barclay's plan would establish and fund Career Internship Programs between local school districts and regional employers to provide high school students with the opportunity to get hands-on experience in real world jobs. Enhanced funding would help to expand these types of internships into the many smaller districts across the state that have not yet provided these valuable programs.

* Advanced Math Science Education: Barclay's plan would create affiliations between high schools and local higher education institutions like Oswego State, Jefferson Community College, Canton, Potsdam, and Clarkson to provide enhanced math and science education programs. In addition, a Regional High Tech High School was opened in the Albany area this year. Will Barclay wants to establish a similar institution here in the North Country. 

Support for Farm-to-School Programs: 

Assemblyman Barclay's plan would improve the quality of school nutrition programs, and provide a boost for agriculture-related businesses here in Central and Northern New York, by enhancing the ability of local farmers to sell their products in our local schools. His proposal would remove barriers and provide increased State support for the purchase of local farm products by school districts. This will provide farmers with the opportunity to have a local market for their goods, while also supplying our school children with fresh locally grown healthy food and dairy products.

Official: WillBarclay.com