Assemblywoman Russell recognizes winner of Teen Division in North Country Historical Writing Contest

Assemblywoman Addie J. Russell, D-Theresa, congratulates Asher Cragg, 13, of Norwood, during a brunch held at SUNY Potsdam for the winners of the North Country Historical Writing Contest. Asher's entry, Whiskey Run earned top honors in the teenage division of the contest. The contest was sponsored by Assemblywoman Russell and NorthCountryNow.com with assistance from SUNY Potsdam, the Jefferson County Historical Society and the North Country Library System.

Assemblywoman Russell honors winner of 12U Division in North Country Historical Writing Contest

Assemblywoman Addie J. Russell, D-Theresa, congratulates Alayna Bush of Adams, a sixth-grader at South Jefferson Central School, during a brunch held at SUNY Potsdam for the winners of the North Country Historical Writing Contest. Alayna's entry earned top honors in the youth up to age 12 division of the contest. The contest was sponsored by Assemblywoman Russell and NorthCountryNow.com with assistance from SUNY Potsdam, the Jefferson County Historical Society and the North Country Library System.

Assemblywoman Russell: Budget includes common sense minimum wage increase for North Country, paid family leave, tax cuts

Assemblywoman Addie J. Russell, D-Theresa, has announced the 2016-17 state budget includes a common sense minimum wage increase, middle class tax cuts, and paid family leave.

“The final budget includes significant initiatives that will support New York families,” Assemblywoman Russell said. “The minimum wage increase included in this year's state budget will greatly assist low-income earners by providing wages that better enables them to meet their bsic needs. It also takes into account the unique challenges facing businesses in the North Country.”

In upstate New York, the minimum wage will incrementally increase by 70 cents until it reaches
$12.50 per hour by the end of 2020, at which point it will increase over several years based on economic factors with a $15 per hour cap.

“This plan will not leave North Country workers behind down the road because it includes increases after the initial phase in,” Assemblywoman Russell said. “The wage increase plan provides balance and moves every part of the state forward in a way that will help workers afford to live here and help our economy to grow.”

Additional funding was allocated to tackle the unique wage challenges in the agriculture and non-profit health care industries.

“I have long recognized the need to support our working poor and the needs of businesses, including our non-profit and agricultural sectors, that operate with slim margins, often on challenging revenue cycles,” Assemblywoman Russell said.

“This minimum wage deal will ensure those sectors are supported by a combination of state funding and tax cuts that will guarantee job security alongside higher, more equitable wages.”

In addition, the budget provides $4.2 billion for permanent tax cuts affecting 6 million middle-class New Yorkers. This tax cut will impact joint filers earning from $40,000 to $300,000.

“This much-needed tax cut will help the vast majority of North Country families,” Assemblywoman Russell said. “By reinvesting this money back to middle-class taxpayers, we will help bring financial relief to those who need it, while stimulating the local economy.”
Paid family leave was also included in the final budget to better support workers who need to care for their children or a sick loved one.

Businesses will be required to offer this benefit to all workers, who would initially contribute up to 70 cents each week with a four year phase-in. This small expense would ensure employees are guaranteed job security and a reasonable benefits for as many as 12 weeks of leave while taking care of their loved ones.

This measure is the most expansive paid family leave program in the country, Assemblywoman Russell said.

Assemblywoman Russell: 2016-17 budget provides good news for public schools, SUNY students

Assemblywoman Addie J. Russell, D-Theresa, has announced the 2016-17 state budget makes a significant investment in education, enacts a SUNY tuition freeze and provides for capital projects within the SUNY system.

“This budget includes a significant investment in our schools, including a record high amount of Foundation Aid,” Assemblywoman Russell said. “That Foundation Aid is a critical funding component for our high needs districts in the North Country.”

The budget increases school aid by nearly $1.5 billion, providing a total of $24.7 billion in school aid. Foundation Aid is increased by $627 million and the Gap Elimination Adjustment (GEA) is fully restored.

Superintendents and educators in the North Country have been vocal about the need to increase Foundation Aid, which directs funding to schools with the highest need, including rural school districts, the Assemblywoman noted.

In the 116th Assembly District, total school aid increased by $13.1 million, which is an increase of 5.01 percent from the 2015-16 academic year. Within that, the total Foundation Aid increased by $8.97 million, which is an increase of 4.46 percent from the 2015-16 academic year.

“The state has a responsibility to allocate our education funding so North Country students are provided with similar opportunities for educational success as their peers attending high wealth districts in other parts of the state,” Assemblywoman Russell said. 

“The funding to eliminate the Gap Elimination Adjustment will benefit our schools this year and into the future. It will allow us to focus our attention in future years on ensuring our districts continue to receive the Foundation Aid necessary for North Country schools to provide a quality education to our students.”

In addition, the budget includes funding for Assemblywoman Russell’s Farm to School pilot program in the North Country, which would provide fresh, local food for local school districts.

The program provides substantial reimbursements to local schools that purchase food from New York State farmers. By enabling school districts to buy more food from local sources, the program ensures students have access to fresh, nutritious food while helping local farmers, Assemblywoman Russell said.

“I am convinced this will be a successful program that opens more markets to our farmers and provides our school cafeteria programs with the funding to purchase and serve healthy, locally grown products,” Assemblywoman Russell said. 

The Assemblywoman has been in frequent contact with stakeholders in the agricultural community and local schools to craft this program.

The budget also includes increased funding for SUNY, while at the same time freezing tuition for the coming academic year.

“We pushed back against continual tuition hikes at SUNY schools, and we won,” Assemblywoman Russell said. “We cannot keep pushing more and more of the financial burden on students and expect them to have economic security in the future. This measure helps to ensure that every student in the state has the opportunity to receive an affordable, quality higher education.”

Furthermore, the budget provides capital funding for campus-wide maintenance projects at SUNY Potsdam, SUNY Canton and other colleges and universities in the SUNY system, Assemblywoman Russell added. 

The budget also includes $13.3 million for SUNY to increase community college base aid (a $100 per full time equivalent (FTE) increase), providing a base aid rate of $2,697/FTE.

 Jefferson Community College is one of 30 community colleges that make up the SUNY system and will benefit from this increased funding.

“This isn’t simply an investment in our students and our schools, but also an investment in our economy and future to benefit our communities as a whole. I will keep fighting for an accessible, quality education for all,” Assemblywoman Russell said.

Assemblywoman Russell secures funding for pilot Farm to School program

Assemblywoman Addie J. Russell, D-Theresa, has announced this year’s state budget includes funding for a pilot program that will provide North Country school districts with funding so they can provide fresh, local food grown and raised by New York State farmers.

The pilot program will provide increased reimbursements for North Country schools that purchase food from New York farmers.

“This innovative program greatly benefits both farmers and students alike,” Assemblywoman Russell, chair of the Assembly Task Force on Food, Farm and Nutrition Policy, said. “Farmers will receive revenue from local schools, while students get healthy and locally sourced food. It’s a win-win.”

The budget allocates $300,000 to the Adirondack North Country Association to oversee the farm to school program specifically targeting schools in the North Country to help purchase food from regional farmers.

"We are honored to be selected to manage this innovative program,” ANCA Executive Director Kate Fish said. "This initiative will provide more stable year-round markets for regional farms and exponentially increase the number of schools participating in farm to school programs.”

"ANCA has a long history of supporting our region's farmers,” according to ANCA's Board President James Sonneborn. "We are excited about the possibilities this initiative presents and look forward to working with Assemblywoman Russell to bring this idea to fruition."

The Assemblywoman’s farm to school pilot program is part of her larger “Drive for 25” initiative, which is also supported by the New York School Nutrition Association. That initiative would provide increased state funding of up to 25 cents more per lunch for schools that meet set goals for expanded usage of local food products.

That initiative would modify the state’s reimbursement formula for school lunches, by increasing reimbursement rates by 5 to 25 cents a meal from the current 6 cents.

The rate would be dependent on the percentage of locally grown and produced products that school districts purchase each year.

While some school districts across the state have been able to offer local food to their students, the reimbursement rate has not changed in 40 years, meaning cash-strapped districts may not be able to more fully utilize regional farms. 

This pilot program will provide a nutritional and economic benefit to the community and serve as a template for schools across New York State, Assemblywoman Russell noted.

“This measure affirms our commitment to the state’s farmers and the well-being of our students,” according to Assemblywoman Russell. “I will continue to fight for policies that provide healthy food to schools and help stimulate the local agricultural community. I am optimistic the success of this pilot program in the North Country in this budget year will grow additional funding for the program in future budgets.”