OUTLINING PRIORITIES
WSWHE BOCES holds virtual Legislative Breakfast to present 2022 needs
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. » The seventh annual Washington-Saratoga-WarrenHamilton-Essex (WSWHE) Board of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES) Legislative Breakfast was held virtually due to the ongoing pandemic. School representatives presented this year’s priorities to invited legislatures over Zoom.
The event still managed to have a feel of normalcy, with treats delivered to selected guests by BOCES Career and Technical Education (CTE) culinary students under the guidance of Chef Celeste David. In attendance at the virtual event were BOCES students, superintendents of school districts that had access to BOCES programs, members of the BOCES CTE faculty, and eight state legislators.
Leading the meeting was District Superintendent of Schools James Dexter. This was Dexter’s last official Breakfast, as he is stepping down over the summer. After introductory remarks and the Pledge of Allegiance, this year’s legislative priorities were addressed by Andrew Cook, chair of the advocacy committee. The priorities are requests to the state legislatures
for advocacy of financial aid, asking the legislatures to push for the approval of requested funding in the state assembly and senate.
Three legislative priorities were presented this year:
Funding for the 2022-23 school year aid to the “greatest extent possible”
Increasing the building aid for small capital projects from $100,000
to $250,000
Increasing the cap on BOCES aid for CTE teacher salaries
As explained by Cook, the priority for funding is necessary to continue providing for the needs of BOCES students as much as possible, especially as the pandemic continues to complicate those needs with factors such as
remote learning requirements and increased social-emotional stress. The priority of increasing the small capital projects limit is needed because the current amount was set 20 years ago and does not reflect the current cost of small projects in the modern fiscal environment.
The priority of increasing the cap on CTE teacher salaries is one that has been presented to state legislature multiple times. The cap is currently set at $30,000, even though the average CTE teacher salary is $67,000. Raising the cap would allow more money to go towards supporting more students in CTE programs. To show the importance of this priority, a panel of CTE students and graduates weighed in with their experiences and testimonies about why the CTE programs at BOCES are so vital to the WSWHE school districts.
The invited legislatures were then given time to offer remarks about what they had heard so far. All were positive and supportive, thanking BOCES staff and faculty for the work they do and vowing to push for approval of the priorities at the state level.
State Sen. Daphne Jordan, R-Halfmoon, noted that when Gov. Kathy Hochul released this year’s budget, it included a significant increase in education spending proposals.
“Those proposals are a floor, not a ceiling,” Jordan remarked. “I agree with every single one of these priorities. I appreciate all that BOCES and CTE does, training students for the workforce and helping them to explore what they’re passionate about.”
“You’ve been very consistent in advocating your priorities,” stated state Sen. Dan Stec, R-Queensbury. “I agree we need to index and adjust them. Thank you for all that you do.”
Assemblywoman Carrie Woerner, D-Round Lake, agreed, saying, “Thank you all for the tremendous work you’ve done over the last two years in this pandemic. I look forward to going to work to make
your priorities happen.”
Assemblywoman Mary Beth Walsh, R-Ballston, added, “I agree with all the legislative priorities. I’m hearing from employers around my district that there’s a need for skilled workers. What you’re doing is very important.”
“Your asks are not unreasonable,” Assemblyman John McDonald III, D- Cohoes, added.
With this year’s priorities
presented, it’s now up to the state legislatures to work with Hochul and the
state Assembly and Senate to meet those priorities.
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