Assemblywoman Russell Announces Next Student Cabinet Meeting

Assemblywoman Addie Russell (Theresa) announced that she is taking applications for this year’s Student Cabinet.  Russell assembled over fifty students last year to form her Student Cabinet from students in districts throughout Jefferson and St. Lawrence Counties.  The cabinet met several times and provided first hand insight into the impacts that budget cuts have had on North Country schools.  Russell plans to continue this effort and is looking for seventh through twelfth grade students to advise her on issues of concern to them, as well as provide the students with enrichment opportunities. 

The first Student Cabinet meeting this year will be held at the Ogdensburg Public Library Auditorium on Saturday March 16^th from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.  The all day event will feature presentations on financial preparedness for college, volunteer opportunities, and entrepreneurship, and include student driven discussions about their education experiences.

“I want to get input from those most directly affected by state education policy – the students,” said Assemblywoman Russell.  The cabinet will convene to discuss a variety of topics pertaining to students’ educational experiences.  I want to be able to take the information from the Student Cabinet to Albany and push for education reforms that make the most sense for students.  Based upon the feedback from last year, I am also including presentations that address student’s concerns.  Thank you to all the students that participated last year.  Your input was invaluable and has helped me to shape the cabinet agenda moving forward.”

Applications for the Student Cabinet will be available on her Facebook page and at www.assembly.state.ny.us/mem/Addie-J-Russell.   Applications must be submitted by March 11, 2013, and can be submitted by mail to 317 Washington Street, Suite 210, Watertown, New York, 13601 or by e-mail to russela@assembly.state.ny.us or by facsimile at 315-786-0287.

Interested candidates may also contact the Assemblywoman’s office for further information by calling 315-786-0284.

Assemblywoman Addie Russell announces funding for St. Lawrence County Fire Training Facility

Assemblywoman Addie J. Russell (D-Theresa) today announced that she has secured $100,000 for the St. Lawrence County Fire Training Facility.  The training facility, which will be located in West Potsdam, NY, replaces the county’s previous facility, which had been condemned due to structural issues.  The new facility will consist of a three-story training tower, residential section, and annex burn rooms.

“Our firefighters and first responders deserve a modern and convenient training facility.  This state-of-the-art facility will serve St. Lawrence County well in that regard,” said Assemblywoman Russell.  “Now the 41 fire departments and hundreds of emergency services personnel can receive training within St. Lawrence County and not have to train at facilities many miles away in other counties.”

Assemblywoman Russell has been a fervent supporter of first responders and understands that many in the North Country are volunteers who donate their time and efforts to becoming firefighters or emergency medical personnel.  “They are the front line, the women and men who show up to save your house, or save you or a family member in an emergency.  Ensuring that they have the best training opportunities is our obligation.  I am pleased to be able to assist with this critical funding,” she said.

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Bridal Expo this Weekend in Ogdensburg

Watertown, NY, Assemblywoman Addie Russell (Theresa) announced today that the Bridal Expo in Ogdensburg on Sunday February 24^th has grown since last year and has well over seventy vendors participating.  The Expo is co-sponsored by the Ogdensburg Area Zonta Club, the Ogdensburg Area Boys & Girls Club, the Ogdensburg Bridge & Port Authority, The Wolf 95.3, the Ogdensburg Journal, 96.7 YES-FM, Q Country 102.9, and PAC 98.7. The Bridal Expo is part of Russell’s Rediscovering Your Backyard initiative, which promotes local businesses in the North Country.  

The Expo will be held at Building #1, 120 Commerce Park Drive (in the former Brecon Ridge/Mitel Building, just behind St. Lawrence Federal Credit Union), in the Ogdensburg Bridge and Port Authority Industrial Park, off NYS Rte. 37.  Admission is a $2 donation and will benefit the Ogdensburg Area Zonta Club and Boys and Girls Club.

Several events that are being held at the Bridal Expo include a fashion show beginning at 1:30pm, a cake dive at 3:30pm, and seminars on selecting a photographer, custom made wedding gowns and bridal attire.

For more information about the Expo, go to https://www.facebook.com/events/108812262630262/?fref=ts

The Bridal Expo is one of three events held annually to promote local businesses.  The other events are the North Country Department Store, held in Philadelphia in late fall and Escape to the Cape, held in Cape Vincent in the spring. 

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Bridal Expo Scheduled for February 24th in Ogdensburg

Watertown, NY, Assemblywoman Addie Russell (Theresa) announced today that the Bridal Expo in Ogdensburg on Sunday February 24^th has grown since last year and has well over seventy vendors participating.  The Expo is co-sponsored by the Ogdensburg Area Zonta Club, the Ogdensburg Area Boys & Girls Club, the Ogdensburg Bridge & Port Authority, The Wolf 95.3, the Ogdensburg Journal, 96.7 YES-FM, Q Country 102.9, and PAC 98.7. The Bridal Expo is part of Russell’s Rediscovering Your Backyard initiative, which promotes local businesses in the North Country.  

The Expo will be held at Building #1, 120 Commerce Park Drive (in the former Brecon Ridge/Mitel Building, just behind St. Lawrence Federal Credit Union), in the Ogdensburg Bridge and Port Authority Industrial Park, off NYS Rte. 37.  Admission is a $2 donation and will benefit the Ogdensburg Area Zonta Club and Boys and Girls Club.

For more information about the Expo, go to https://www.facebook.com/events/108812262630262/?fref=ts

The Bridal Expo is one of three events held annually to promote local businesses.  The other events are the North Country Department Store, held in Philadelphia in late fall and Escape to the Cape, held in Cape Vincent in the spring. 

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Media Alert

Assemblywoman Addie Russell will hold a press availability on Friday February 15th at 11:00am at her Watertown District Office, 317 Washington Street in Watertown. Media only may attend and should RSVP to her Watertown office at 315-786-0284.

Assemblywoman Addie Russell Introduces the School Funding Equity Act

Assemblywoman Addie J. Russell (D-Theresa) announced today that she is reintroducing the legislation she sponsored last session to overhaul the state’s school aid formula.  The legislation, now known as the School Funding Equity Act, amends several aspects of the school aid formula to provide equity in funding - benefiting poorer school districts.

“This legislation is essential to ensuring that children in the most disadvantaged parts of this state receive even the most basic education,” Russell explained.  “The inequity in the state’s school aid funding is pushing our school districts over their own fiscal cliff,” she added.  “The provisions of this bill address the needs of our North Country schools as well as poor city schools across this state,” she added.  “It is essential that all poor school district communities band together and work to reform the school aid formula in this year’s budget process,” Russell concluded.

The legislation addresses several areas of the school aid formula as follows:

·        Allows for aid to be calculated based upon data within the last five years, helping school districts experiencing fluctuation in their communities.

·        Provides for accurate calculation of the average cost of general education instruction by utilizing spending data from all but the top 10% and bottom 10% schools.

·        Places more emphasis on the number of students that qualify for free and reduced school lunch.

·        Eliminates the provision that requires all school districts to receive a minimum amount of school aid. 

·        Calls for the regional cost index in the formula to be updated to reflect current data.

·        Addresses arbitrary provisions in the funding formula that prevent the poorest schools from being compensated based upon their actual data.  The bill language permits schools with wealth ratios below .65 and above .25 to use their actual wealth ration.  Current law will only allow districts to use a minimum of .65 when calculating aid even though many districts have lower ratios.  The bill also prevents wealthy school districts from appearing poorer than they actually are.  The bill language provides for increasing the wealth ratio ceiling for school districts from a 2 to a 3.  These provisions allow for calculating school aid based upon actual figures instead of rounding the poor district wealth ratios up and the wealthy district ratios down.

·        Eliminates automatic increases in aid to school districts that do not need those funds as indicated by the school aid formula. Further, the proposed legislation only assures districts they will receive up to eighty-five percent of what they received the year before, in other words, allows for an up to fifteen percent reduction each year.  The language also permits districts that are entitled to increased funding based upon historical funding inequities to receive one hundred twenty-five percent of what they received the year before, an increase from one hundred fifteen percent.  This provision provides the mechanism to reverse the expanding inequity in a phased approach.

“School Aid funding reform is one of the most divisive issues in the state budget, even though most of the state is being shortchanged by problems in the formula,” Russell stated.  “My approach has been to build broad based support around the state for the reform legislation and carry the fiscal and educational realities of our local districts to the legislature and governor,” she concluded.