Assemblywoman Russell: Assembly budget plan adds critical funds for local schools

Assemblywoman Addie J. Russell. D-Theresa, says the state Assembly's budget proposal increases state funding for North Country schools and helps alleviate tax burdens for property owners.

The Assembly budget proposal also includes a $1.7 billion investment in higher education and freezes tuition at the State University of New York for two years.

Assemblywoman Russell said school superintendents and educators from throughout the district had called for additional funding in foundation aid from the governor's proposal.

"Our schools have been shortchanged for years and need increased support to stop having to make harmful cuts and keep property taxes down," Foundation aid drives funding to our rural school districts with the highest needs," Assemblywoman Russell said.

"I will continue fighting for our students and for the educators working so hard to provide them with a high quality education.

The Assembly proposal includes:

• An increase of $1.1 billion for Foundation Aid, which is $875 million over the governor's proposal.

• $434 million to fully restore the Gap Elimination Adjustment (GEA).

• $5 million for additional library aid above the $91.6 million included in the governor's budget.

• $10 million in capital support for public libraries.

"Increasing state funding for north country schools, as well as other schools across the state, is not only fair, it's the right thing to do. This Assembly budget proposal will help stabilize our schools so they can give our students the quality education they deserve," Assemblywoman Russell said.

The plan also fully restoresfor Teacher Resources and Computer Training Centers to $14.3 million.

"Providing teachers with the tools and training they need is critical for teachers to effectively do their jobs in the 21st Century and that is why the Assembly is rejecting the governor's proposed cuts to this program," she noted.

She said students at SUNY Potsdam, SUNY Canton and Jefferson Community College - as well as the other colleges and universities in the SUNY system - would also benefit from the funding included in the Assembly proposal.

"At a same time that a college degree is almost a necessity for a 21st Century job, more and more young people are being priced out of higher education. Students are already coming out of college saddled with years of debt. That's no way to start out," Assemblywoman Russell said.

In addition to freezing tuition, the Assembly's budget proposes more than $819 million in capital assistance and increases the base operating aid to community colleges as well as grant awards under the tuition assistance program (TAP).

Assemblywoman Russell: New regent has pledged to visit Jefferson County schools, communities

Assemblywoman Addie J. Russell, D-Theresa, says she is confident the newly elected regent for the Fifth Judicial District will be a frequent visitor to schools and communities in Jefferson County.

The state Legislature elected Luis O. Reyes, Nan Eileen Mead and Elizabeth Smith Hakanson to the New York State Board of Regents. Smith Hakanson, a Syracuse educator for over 30 years, will fill the Fifth Judicial District seat.

Several candidates, including a trio from the 116th Assembly District, interviewed for the Fifth Judicial District seat.

The Fifth District regent represents a mix of urban, suburban and rural school districts in Jefferson, Lewis, Oswego, Onondaga, Oneida and Herkimer counties.

"All candidates from our area interviewed very well, but there were many candidates from the large Fifth Judicial District, which stretches from the Mohawk Valley through Syracuse into Jefferson County," Assemblywoman Russell said.

"It is a process. Many of the assembly people from the Fifth Judicial District and the members of the assembly that sat in on the interviews for the Board of Regents reviewed the candidates and two names came forward for the vote on the floor," she noted.

Assemblywoman Russell said after sitting in on the interviews and talking to the candidates she chose to support Hakanson's nomination.

"Although none of the Board of Regents candidates nominated this week were from my assembly district, I fully expect Regent Elizabeth Smith Hakanson will be responsive to the needs of the North Country," Assemblywoman Russell said.

"She conveyed to me her plans to visit the area's schools and wants to hear from the community, especially parents and teachers," she added.

Assemblywoman Russell noted the state Legislature had elected the candidate she had nominated for the Board of Regents, Beverly Ouderkirk, to the Fourth Judicial District seat in 2015. That district stretches from St. Lawrence County to just north of Albany.

"I was fortunate to have a constituent from this district - a resident of Morristown - elected to the Board of Regents last year. I would have loved to have had two members on the board from this assembly district, but it didn't work out that way this year."

The 17-member Board of Regents is responsible for the general supervision of all educational activities in the state and preside over the State University of New York and the state Education Department. The Board of Regents sets the standards for elementary and secondary education in the state.

Assemblywoman Russell said Hakanson has already met Regent Beverly Ouderkirk.

Hakanson has more than 32 years of education experience, which includes teaching at the high school and middle school levels in the Syracuse City School District.

Assemblywoman Russell supports re-appointment of town supervisor in Morristown

Assemblywoman Addie J. Russell said she has been advised the governor's legal staff is reviewing a request from Morristown town officials to appoint a town supervisor.

A series of procedural errors has left the board with just two duly elected officials on the five-member board.

The two remaining board members, lacking a quorum, are unable to make appointments to fill the vacancies on the town board. The remaining two board members are also not authorized to sign checks, so the municipality is currently unable to pay its bills, including its payroll. The town's next payroll is March 17.

"I have been looking into the town's options and in contact with the governor's staff. I have been told they are researching the request and are working on it in an expedited fashion," Russell said.

She noted she would support former Supervisor Frank Putman being reappointed to a position he has held since the late 1990s.

"The residents of the town of Morristown deserve a functioning government. The taxpayers in the town of Morristown have paid to have their services provided, and they need a functioning government," she said.

Russell said the appointment of the supervisor is necessary so the town can pay its bills and meets its payroll.

"This is a busy time of year for the highway department as winter transitions into spring. The board needs a quorum so it can pay for necessary supplies for its road maintenance work," she noted.

Russell said she is also advocating the town call a special election to fill the remaining two vacancies on the town board.

"I know there will be a cost for a special election, but I think it is warranted in this case so the residents of the town of Morristown can make the determination if this is just a case of clerical errors or there are broader issues that warrant change. That needs to be a local decision. I also feel it is a decision the voters need to be able to make in a relatively short period of time," Russell said.

Assemblywoman Russell: Funding can boost heroin, opioid fight in north country

Assemblywoman Addie J. Russell, D-Theresa, has announced the Assembly’s state budget proposal includes $30 million to expand treatment services for those struggling with opioid and heroin addiction.

“Heroin and opioid addiction have had an increasingly devastating impact here in the North Country in recent years,” Russell said. “Anyone who has a family member or friend that has succumbed to opioid addiction understands the human and financial toll it takes on them and the community. It is truly heartbreaking, which is why I’ve been working to develop solutions to this serious issue.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that there are 125 deaths from drug overdoses each day in the United States. While exact numbers are difficult to nail down, health officials estimate that just over 20 people have died from heroin overdoses in St. Lawrence and Jefferson counties in recent years, with even more overdoses that didn’t result in death.

The growth of the heroin problem in the region is illustrated by statistics from St. Lawrence County Drug Task Force. The task force investigated 52 heroin-related cases in 2015, up from just four heroin-related cases in 2011. Those investigations in 2015 led to 191 felony and misdemeanor charges.

The budget proposal includes $15 million specifically targeting underserved areas and populations, and at-risk individuals. The funding will be used to provide treatment and ensure there are post-treatment services to help prevent relapses, Russell said, noting there are now more deaths from heroin overdoses in rural areas than urban areas.

Russell said while there are quality opioid abuse treatment providers in the area there are simply not enough spaces or programs - particularly programs designed to prevent relapse - to meet the skyrocketing demand.

She pointed out there are also a lack of physicians in the area that can prescribe medications to people seeking to stop using heroin or other opioids. The lack of mental health providers in the north country also provides struggles for people that are also dealing with mental health issues.

“These vital funds are necessary to protect our loved ones who continue to deal with this deadly epidemic, and I will keep fighting to make sure that North Country families have the resources and services they need to prevent further tragedy," she said.

Assemblywoman Russell encourages top students in Class of 2016 to apply for STEM scholarships

Assemblywoman Addie J. Russell, D-Theresa, is urging high school students in the top 10 percent of their graduating class to consider taking advantage of scholarship opportunities designed for students that plan to major in math and the sciences.

“The New York State Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Incentive Program is a wonderful opportunity to get a degree in these fields at our SUNY schools with less worry about being burdened with huge student loan debt,” Russell said.

The New York State Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Incentive Program application is now available for high school students entering college in fall 2016.

The program provides a full SUNY tuition scholarship to students in the top 10 percent of their high school graduating class if they major in a STEM field and work in a STEM job in New York state for five years after graduation.

The program is a key tool in encouraging the best and brightest high school students to pursue high-demand, high-tech careers and build their future in New York.

Since the program’s inception, over 1,400 top scholars have received STEM awards totaling more than $7.5 million.

Applications must be submitted by Aug. 15 for June high school graduates planning to enroll in college in the fall of 2016.

Russell is encouraging students to apply as soon as possible, however, given the early deadlines to decide on attending college and the timing of financial aid awards.