State legislators warn Albany schools of budget uncertainty, urge local planning

Senator Patricia Fahey and Assemblywoman Gabriela Romero told the Albany City School District Board of Education on Thursday that education funding and policy decisions in Albany are facing “unprecedented” uncertainty amid proposed federal cuts and a big, complex state budget.

Fahey, who represents the region in the State Senate, and Romero, newly seated in the Assembly, described several parts of the governor’s and Legislature’s budget proposals that could affect the district’s finances and operations, including the state’s $340 million pledge for universal free school meals, changes to prekindergarten reimbursement, the so‑called “bell‑to‑bell” cellphone policies, and competing Senate and Assembly approaches to Raise the Age funding and services for justice‑involved youth.

The lawmakers told the board that large sums of federal money flow through the state budget and that proposals at the U.S. level — including suggested reductions to the U.S. Department of Education and USDA programs — increase the risk the state will not be able to fully backfill losses. “There is a cloud,” Fahey said, noting the state budget’s scale and the…