- Target:
- Residents of Monroe County; particularly those with children in school
- Region:
- United States of America
On September 26, 2007, the majority of the Monroe County Legislature passed Monroe County Executive Maggie Brooks' Fairness, Accountability, Innovation and Results (F.A.I.R.) Plan.
The plan calls for a 50 percent reduction in sales tax revenue to school districts to pay for the county's portion of the state Medicaid bill.
Without prior public debate, the FAIR plan disenfranchises the voters of Monroe County - who overwhelmingly approved their school budgets in May 2007 - and, worse, hurts school children in our community.
The County justified their 50% cut in education's portion of sales tax dollars by highlighting new state aid to education. But, this year's state aid was provided with the expectation that the new money would be targeted in specific ways to improve academic results and schools are being held accountable by the state for how this money is used.
Since school districts in New York are not allowed to operate in a deficit condition, this decision by the County will create a major problem in every district. The Morin-Ryan agreement for sharing sales tax money is state law and the County has no authority to change it.
Additionally, there is no evidence that the state legislature wrote the Intercept Law intending it to allow a county to alter pre-existing sharing relationships.
And now, the County, desperate for a way to pay this cost, has decided to take money from education's portion of the sales taxes.
We, the undersigned, feel that Monroe County broke its promise to local school districts by reducing the amount of sales tax revenue going to local school districts by 50%.
Monroe County residents approved school budgets in May 2007 to best serve students. County Executive Maggie Brooks thinks she knows better. Now, money will be taken away from school districts’ mid-budget year.
We agree that the Medicaid problem needs to be addressed; shifting the burden to schools is not the answer.
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The Stop Monroe County Taking $millions from School Districts petition to Residents of Monroe County; particularly those with children in school was written by John Walker and is in the category Education at GoPetition.