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State lawmakers brief Guilderland board on foundation aid, EV bus deadlines, cell‑phone policy and school‑meal uncertainty
Summary
Senator Pat Fahey and Assemblymember Gabriela Romero told the Guilderland Central School District Board of Education that the state budget process is fluid but moving toward additional foundation aid, while federal USDA cuts and new policy language on cell phones and EV‑bus mandates create uncertainty for districts.
Senator Pat Fahey and Assemblymember Gabriela Romero visited the Guilderland Central School District Board of Education on March 11 to discuss the 2025 state budget and to take questions from board members and residents.
Fahey said the two legislative houses had introduced one‑house resolutions that differed from the governor’s executive budget and that foundation aid numbers were still fluid. “The good news is let me just start with the foundation aid. In the senate, we did add in more than what the governor has proposed,” Fahey said, adding that the senate and assembly proposals were moving “in the right direction” though exact percentages were still being validated.
Both legislators warned of federal uncertainty: Fahey said there may be reductions at the U.S. Department of Agriculture that could affect school‑meal funding and called that a major unknown. “Just today, we saw that there may be a billion dollars cut from the USDA,” he said, noting the state would struggle to backfill any large federal cuts.
On prekindergarten and other targeted funds, Romero said the assembly one‑house proposal focused on financial measures instead of policy language and included additional funding proposals such as a floor increase for pre‑K and expanded farm‑to‑school elements for free‑meal programs. Romero said the assembly added funds to the “raise the age” implementation to ensure youth receive immediate assessments and services rather than being released without support.
Both legislators addressed two items that have drawn questions from districts: cell‑phone policy and the state’s zero‑emission school‑bus transition. Fahey said the senate language aims to require range certification for electric buses, make electrification plans eligible for transportation aid and allow more flexibility and extensions on the transition timeline. He added districts had raised implementation concerns about range, charging infrastructure and route feasibility. Romero said the assembly one‑house proposal did not include the EV mandate language and that the assembly largely focused on finance.
Board members asked whether aid increases would arrive in time for the board’s April 8 adoption deadline; Fahey and Romero said the numbers are fluid and urged districts to press Albany on timing because local budgets and voter timelines are compressed. Rebecca, a board member, raised questions specific to BOCES aid and was told the assembly proposed a change to the BOCES salary cap aid; staff in Romero’s office clarified an allocation of $557,900,000 to increase the salary cap aid for BOCES instructors from $30,000 to $40,000 (assembly figure presented during Q&A).
The legislators took questions on electric‑bus reliability after board members recounted stalls on routes in other districts. Fahey said NYSERDA had offered to run forums for districts and that senators and assembly members were considering legislative flexibility and deadline extensions. He said there may be additional state money for electric buses and charging infrastructure in the assembly one‑house text. Romero and Fahey encouraged districts to share specific implementation problems so lawmakers could consider legislative fixes.
The legislators left after about an hour and a half of questions and conversation; no formal board action resulted from the visit.
