New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli said82-school districts are in 'fiscal stress'. Eight districts are listed as 'Significant Stress'. That includes the West Seneca Central School District.
While the highest concentration of financial distressed districts is in Central New York and Long Island, several Western New York districts are cited. Lake Shore Central School District, Jamestown City School District and the Holley Central School District are labeled 'moderately stressed.'
Lake Shore Schools Superintendent James Przepasnaik said it indicates his district has been spending its fund balance.
"Which is an indication that we have been spending our fund balance, and that we continually ask for the state to fully fund education in New York," said Przepasnaik.
The Lackawanna City School District, East Aurora Union Free School District, Niagara-Wheatfield School District, North Tonawanda School District, Grand Island School District and the Alexander School Districts were all listed listed as 'Susceptible to Fiscal Stress'.
The Frontier Central School District does not appear on the state's fiscal stress list, however, Schools Superintendent Dr. Bret Apthrope tells WBFO News his district suffers from difficult 'educational stresses.'
"That whole designation of 'fiscally stressed' is somewhat of a fallacy, because that designation is strictly based on economics. It's not based on the quality of education," explained Aptrhope. "Where Frontier may score 'no stress' on the economic prospective we have class sizes over 30-kids in the middle school, so from an education prospective, we're stressed."
The comptroller's office noted the scores used for the report "are based on financial information submitted as part of each district’s ST-3 financial report filed with the State Education Department as of Dec. 31, 2015." The said Wednesday announcement does not include scores for the dependent school districts in the “Big Four” cities of Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse and Yonkers. That will be incorporated into the scoring later this year.
Apthrope and Przepasnaik appeared with several other area schools superintendents Thursday morning in Hamburg were State Senator Marc Panepinto hosted a district-wide superintendent roundtable. This was the fourth in a series of sessions Paenpinto has hosted with school leaders in his senate district.
The discussion centered around difficult education funding issues. Leaders discussed a proposed restoration of Gap Elimination Adjustment Funding (GEA) and a property tax cap. Many districts are dealing with shortfalls.
Panepinto is calling on the state to make education a 'priority'. "I feel very confident that the senate, republicans and democrats are committed to full restoration of the GEA, that will help out in many of these districts," stated Panepinto. "New York State has not prioritized education properly in the last five years."
Panepinto said the Governor's proposed spending plan does not go far enough to provided needed education funding to assist districts.