State agrees to pay billions to settle lawsuit

The Haldane school district is expected to receive nearly $700,000 in additional operating aid after the state’s decision to settle a lawsuit filed in 2015 by a coalition of associations representing school officials, parents and education advocacy groups. 

Gov. Kathy Hochul said on Oct. 14 that the state would provide $4.2 billion over three years to end a lawsuit brought by New Yorkers for Students’ Education Rights. 

 The coalition accused the state of failing to fully fund foundation aid, which was created in 2007 to settle a separate lawsuit and considers a school district’s wealth and other needs in distributing funding.  

Superintendent Phil Benante said the district expects to receive $690,543. Beacon and Garrison are among the school districts not owed additional funding, according to the Alliance for Education Equity.

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Type: News

News: Based on facts, either observed and verified directly by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.

Leonard Sparks has been reporting for The Current since 2020. The Peekskill resident holds a bachelor’s degree in English from Morgan State University and a master’s degree in journalism from the University of Maryland and previously covered Sullivan County and Newburgh for The Times Herald-Record in Middletown. He can be reached at [email protected].