Assemblymember Harry Bronson (D-Rochester/Chili/Riga/Rush/Wheatland) announced the passage of legislation extending several ongoing education programs facing disruption due to the expiration of current law provisions (A.2289). These provisions are traditionally included in the state budget and the Assembly’s measure seeks to counteract the negative impact caused by last year’s veto of the Education, Labor and Family Assistance Article VII bill.

“That veto was unfortunate, coming at a time when Monroe County libraries and education programs desperately need funding to stay afloat,” Assemblymember Bronson said. “The legislation passed by the Assembly continues our longstanding commitment to protecting education and ensuring our children are prepared when they enter the workforce.”

Legislation passed by the Assembly would permit the state Education Department to continue current operational practices and authorize school districts to maintain the existing accounting procedures. Also, the legislation authorizes the Rochester City School District to purchase health services from BOCES ensuring school based nurses will continue to serve the cities children.

Additionally, the bill:

• Continues the state’s No Child Left Behind compliance provisions, so that schools don’t lose federal funding;
• Allows for the payment of aid to public, school and research library systems; and
• Extends the authority of the Commission of Education to grant waivers to public library systems and central libraries that cannot maintain local funding due to financial hardship.

“Even in the face of an economic downturn, we need to invest in and protect our most precious citizens – our children,” Assemblymember Bronson said. “This legislation is a victory for students, parents, and educators alike, because educating our kids must be priority number one.”