Assemblywoman Jenne: State budget includes more funding North Country farm to school program

Assemblywoman Addie A.E. Jenne, D-Theresa, announced the
2018-19 state budget includes funding for the third year of a Farm to School pilot program in the North Country.

The budget includes another $300,000 to ensure students in the River District have access to healthy and local foods and aren’t shamed for being unable to pay for lunch. She had also received $300,000 allocations in each of the past two state spending plans.

“Programs like Farm to School do more than just provide our students with healthy food from locally grown farms. They help them excel in the classroom while reinvesting in our economy and strengthening New York’s agriculture industry. I’m encouraged and excited by the additional support this initiative has received in this year’s budget,” Assemblywoman Jenne said.

She said the nearly $1 million she has secured for the Farm to School program in the North Country over the past three years has benefited farmers and students around the region.

"I've been to schools and seen students choosing locally grown, healthy foods. I've heard from farmers and growers whose bottom lines have improved as a result of their ability to sell their products to local schools," Assemblywoman Jenne said.

The program supports initiatives in 19 school districts in St. Lawrence and Jefferson counties to purchase food directly from farms, with more than 150,000 pounds of food products being served in the past two years.

The Farm to School program is a partnership between local farms and schools to promote New York’s agriculture industry, she stressed.

Assemblywoman Jenne said farmers and growers in the North Country and around the state will also benefit from a $10 million allocation to expand the Drive to 25 Pilot Program, which began in the North Country, across the state. The statewide funding will lag a school year as the state gears up to implement the program. Jenne secured the third round of funding for our local program to make sure there was no break in the program for districts she represents.

The pilot program allows schools to receive an additional state funding of up to 19 cents more per lunch for schools that meet set goals for expanded usage of local food products. It will mark the first increase in the state reimbursement rate in four decades.

"We have seen schools that have the proper funding prefer to purchase locally grown healthy foods. This increased funding will benefit farmers and growers, pumping more money into our local economy. I think the benefits of the pilot program have demonstrated the need to expand the program further," Assemblywoman Jenne said.

The state budget also includes measures to prohibit meal shaming in schools to protect students from being singled out, provided a lesser meal or otherwise penalized for not having lunch money.

Assemblywoman Jenne has been an outspoken proponent of strengthening local farms and offering healthier options in school lunches.

Legislation she authored to make it easier for school districts to purchase more locally grown food products was signed into law in 2016.

Assemblywoman Jenne: State budget supports local schools, expands higher education opportunities

Assemblywoman Addie A.E. Jenne, D-Theresa, announced she helped pass the 2018-19 state budget, providing critical funding needed for local school districts to provide quality programming to their students.

"Our students deserve the best shot at being successful in life. We live in an area with tremendous poverty, which sometimes makes it feel like the deck is stacked against us," she said.

"Foundation aid is the equalizer for our students and their families. That's why I focus so much on working to make sure our North Country schools get our fair share of school funding," Assemblywoman Jenne said.

"It has the ability to positively impact our youth for years to come and ensure they reach their full potential as working adults," she added.

The state budget increases Foundation Aid by $618 million for a total of $17.8 billion. Assemblywoman Jenne joined her colleagues in the state Assembly in fighting for a significant increase in Foundation Aid in the 2018-19 budget.

"I've seen the challenges many of our North Country schools are facing as they work on their budgets this year, and this additional aid was critical to maintain staff and programs necessary to best meet the needs of our students," Assemblywoman Jenne said.

The Foundation Aid increases funding for school districts in Jefferson County from 2017-18 to:

· $3,520,788 for the Alexandria Central School District, an increase of 1.92% over last year;

· $10,201,253 for the General Brown Central School District, an increase of 3.7% over last year;

· $39,050,378 for the Indian River Central School District, an increase of 3.74% over last year;

· $4,363,876 for the LaFargeville Central School District, an increase of 5.32% over last year;

· $2,535,363 for the Lyme Central School District, an increase of 4.1% over last year;

· $2,800,737 for the Sackets Harbor School District, an increase of 4.1% over last year;

· $6,502,142 for the Thousand Islands Central School District, an increase of 1.9% over last year;

· $32,880,149 for the Watertown City School District, an increase of 2.33% over last year.

In St. Lawrence County:

· $12,063,923 for the Canton Central School District, an increase of 2.64% over last year;

· $2,709,750 for the Hammond Central School District, an increase of 4.7% over last year;

· $6,095,573 for the Heuvelton Central School District, an increase of 3.96% over last year;

· $5,497,634 for the Lisbon Central School District, an increase of 4.2% over last year;

· $6,627,304 for the Madrid-Waddington Central School District, an increase of 4.14% over last year;

· $22,698,811 for the Massena Central School District, an increase of 4.76% over last year;

· $3,684,170 for the Morristown Central School District, an increase of 4.2% over last year;

· $10,605,335 for the Norwood-Norfolk Central School District, an increase of 3.8% over last year;

· $19,240,139 for the Ogdensburg City School District, an increase of 1.9% over last year; and

· $10,089,438 for the Potsdam Central School District, an increase of 3.25% over last year.

In addition, the state budget increases funding for community schools by $50 million for a total of $200 million, and increases the minimum community school funding amount from $10,000 to $75,000.

Community schools funding is used to turn schools in high-need districts into community hubs that offer critical services to at-risk students and their families.

The state budget continues the Assembly’s commitment to making higher education more affordable, allowing even more North Country students to pursue a college degree. It provides $7.6 billion in higher education funding.

The budget also allocates $118 million for the second year of the Excelsior Scholarship program, which makes SUNY schools tuition-free for New York families earning less than $110,000 this year.

The budget expands eligibility for Enhanced Tuition Awards, which provide students attending private colleges up to $6,000 to cover tuition.

“College isn't the only option for our students, but they also shouldn't have doors to a world of opportunities closed due to their financial status,” Assemblywoman Jenne said. “I’ll continue fighting to ensure that the cost of higher education doesn’t prevent New Yorkers from attending college to gain the skills they need to live the American dream.”

Assemblywoman Jenne: North Country Department Store event set for April 14 in Canton

Assemblywoman Addie A.E. Jenne has announced her annual spring Rediscovering Your Backyard event will take on a new look this year.

Assemblywoman Jenne holds a Rediscovering Your Backyard event each spring in St. Lawrence County and each fall in Jefferson County. The spring event has typically centered around a bridal expo, but it has expanded in recent years to a number of other vendors as well.

"Our goal with these events since day one has been to connect the small businesses that operate in our communities with a wider audience that attend these shows," Assemblywoman Jenne said.

"We try to make changes every year to improve our show to benefit our vendors and their prospective customers. We have switched our venue this year and are broadening the show's scope so we aren’t competing with a number of other bridal expos that are held in St. Lawrence County," she said.

This year's show will be held from 10 a.m to 3 p.m. April 14 at the SUNY Canton Roos House. The deadline for vendors seeking to be a part of next month's North Country Department Store is Friday.

Please email Judy Aldrich at jennea@assembly.gov or call her at 315-786-0284 or 315-386-2037 for more information on the registration process.

Ms. Aldrich said the North Country Department Store will feature a wide range of products ranging from children's clothing, jewelry and woodworking pieces to specialty foods, bath and beauty products and home decor items.

The show will also include vendors offering horse carriage rides, photography and video services and disc jockeys for events in the coming months.

"It's shaping up to be a nice group of vendors for one of the first shows of this type in the new year. It's an effort to showcase the many small businesses that offer unique products and services in the North Country and the larger venue will only enhance the shopping experience," Assemblywoman Jenne said.

Proceeds from the event benefit the SUNY Canton athletic teams, who will be assisting vendors at the show.

Assemblywoman Jenne supports more funding to help people live independently

Assemblywoman Addie A.E. Jenne, D-Theresa, says allocating additional funding to help people to stay in their homes would translate into health care care savings for the state in the long run.

Assemblywoman Jenne joined Assemblyman James Skoufis, chair of the state Assembly's Task Force on People with Disabilities; several of her colleagues and representatives from the New York Association on Independent Living this week to call for increased funding in the state budget.

Assemblyman Skoufis noted the Assembly one-house budget calls for a $1 million increase in funding for independent living centers aftera mere $100,000 increase over the past 11 years.

It also adds $3 million to the Access to Home Program, which helps fund ramps and other retrofits necessary to allow people with disabilities to stay in their homes, as well as restores the Office for the Advocate for People with Disabilities.

Assemblywoman Jenne said her office regularly benefits from the work of the Northern Regional Center for Independent Living in Watertown and the Massena Independent Living Center in addressing constituent issues.

"They are indispensable. I get a lot of calls to my office from people trying to navigate any given system that is throwing up roadblocks for families trying to care for loved ones and for adults trying to stay in their homes and be as independent as possible," she said.

The assemblywoman praised Assemblyman Skoufis for his task force's work on behalf of people with disabilities.

"From every part of the state, we are joining with James' voice to get justice for everyone in New York State. He's standing up for all New Yorkers to support organizations that are credible, that involve peer support and that help parents struggling with a new diagnosis figure out how to ensure their child is getting the services they need," Assemblywoman Jenne said.

She reiterated she refers many constituents to the independent living centers operating in the North Country.

"They are one of the best kept secrets in town. I'm hoping with this push for additional funding they will be able to get out there and reach even more people and turn even more peoples' lives from sometimes a life of despair to a situation where everyone in the family can flourish," Assemblywoman Jenne said.

Assemblywoman Jenne: Fort Drum wind farm protection bill passes Energy Committee

Assemblywoman Addie A.E. Jenne, D-Theresa, has announced legislation (A9053-A) she sponsored to prohibit the state from granting subsidies to wind energy projects that could impact the military’s training needs at Fort Drum has passed the state Assembly's Energy Committee.

The Energy Committee voted 11-4 to send the legislation to the Assembly floor for consideration.

"This is a major step forward in our effort to protect the current and future training needs at Fort Drum. I appreciate the strong support from members on both sides of the aisle at the committee meeting," Assemblywoman Jenne said. "It is clear we can protect the needs of our military without having a significant impact on our goal of reaching the state's renewable energy goals."

The legislation is co-sponsored by fellow committee members Assemblyman Michael Blake, D-Bronx; Assemblyman Marcos Crespo, D-Bronx;Assemblymember Pamela Hunter, D-Syracuse; Assemblymember Felix Ortiz, D-Brooklyn; Assemblywoman Christina Pellegrino, D-Babylon/Oyster bay/West Islip as well as Assemblymember Aravella Simotas Simotes, D-Queens; Assembylmember Monica Wallace, D-Lancaster; and Assemblymember Jaime Williams, D-Brooklyn.

Assemblywoman Jenne noted approximately 10 new wind farms have been proposed or are under construction around Fort Drum and their impact on training operations, which translates to troop readiness, cannot be ignored.

"Soldiers at Fort Drum and from all over the country depend on the training capabilities here. It's critical to our country's national defense to ensure these training opportunities continue with as little hindrance as possible. We can and will continue to lead the state in generating renewable energy in the North Country while supporting our military's needs. This legislation does just that," according to the assemblywoman.

The legislation will allow the state to continue to move toward its green energy goals and still protect the low-level flight training air space around Fort Drum, creating the opportunity for future activity and growth at the installation.

The moving blades of wind turbines already operating in Lewis County within proximity of Fort Drum have created interference with air traffic control and Doppler weather radar, according to the assemblywoman.

Assemblywoman Jenne has noted the construction of any additional wind projects in close proximity to Fort Drum would significantly degrade radar data that is used to assist pilots training in the area.

The bill approved by the Energy Committee would eliminate any state incentives for the development of wind turbines within the area that could interfere with Fort Drum's radar systems but maintain the incentives for the development of wind-generated energy outside the Fort Drum radar and training area.

The legislation would impact areas:

• within 10 miles of the Wheeler-Sack Army airfield;

• within 15 miles of the Montague Doppler Weather Radar KTYY in the town of Lowville in Lewis County, excluding the area within a 15-mile radius east of the line traveling due north and due south from the intersection of County Road 27 and County Road 28 in the town of Lowville;

• within five miles of the Wheeler-Sack Army airfield restricted airspace in St. Lawrence, Jefferson and Lewis counties;

• within five miles of the boundary of the Wheeler-Sack Army airfield class D controlled airspace with the exception of that controlled airspace in Lewis County; and

• within the enclosed area beginning at the intersection of Route 11 and Route 26, north on Route 11 to Route 56, south on Route 56 to the border of the Adirondack Park and then west along the border of the state park back to a point due east of the Route 11 and Route 26 intersection and then west to the intersection of those two highways.

The temporary ban on subsidies would give Fort Drum officials the time and space they need to fully determine which proposed projects are compatible with their training needs, Assemblywoman Jenne noted.

The legislation includes a 15-year sunset provision that would enable the military to count on the installation's viability and provide quality training to soldiers who can be rapidly deployed as needed. It also allows time for technological leaps and advancements that could allow for the co-­location of energy developments around Fort Drum in the future.