Thursday, September 23, 2021 by Staff Report
A total of $650,000 in combined federal funding has been secured for the Indian Lake Central School District and Long Lake Central School District.
Thursday’s announcement comes after lawmakers’ advocacy for the two districts, which were left out of New York’s Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief fund.
Indian Lake Central School District will receive $382,000; Long Lake Central School District, $268,000.
“I am proud to announce that, following my advocacy, these North Country schools will no longer be left without support,” U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-Schuylerville, said in a news release. “Now, these smaller schools will have access to the resources they need. No school — regardless of its size and location — should be left unable to equip the future generation.”
“Thank goodness a wrong has been righted,” offered state Sen. Jim Tedisco, R-Glenville, who called it a “victory for Hamilton County taxpayers, students and educators.”
Tedisco thanked Gov. Kathleen Hochul and state Education Commissioner Betty Rosa for “listening to the concerns” that he, Stefanik and state Assemblyman Robert Smullen have made and for “working to find common ground for the common good of all of our shared constituents in Hamilton County.”
Smullen, in his statement, said: “The reallocation of these funds to Indian Lake Central School District and to Long Lake Central School District was imperative in keeping these schools, the teachers and the students, going for the next year. Too many times we’ve seen rural school communities be left behind when it comes to resource allocation. I’m pleased to see that the state Education Agency could accommodate these two school districts.”
“This is just terrific news and simply a game-changer in the amount of support we will be able to provide students from the loss of learning during the COVID pandemic,” said David Snide, superintendent of Indian Lake Central School. Noelle Short, superintendent of Long Lake Central School, echoed Snide’s comments: “Our students, staff and school community at large will benefit tremendously from this financial support.”
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