The Peru Gazette

During three hours of budget testimony, state Education Commissioner MaryEllen Elia tried to make the case that anything less than that would shortchange the state’s growing population of non-English speaking students, teachers who need training to roll out a revised set of Common Core learning standards, and families seeking quality prekindergarten programs. The biggest gap between the two proposals centers around foundation aid — base aid that is awarded to school districts through a complex formula that takes into account the level of student need and a community’s wealth in order to drive more funding to schools that really need it. Education officials also urged lawmakers to increase state support for the growing population of students who are learning to speak English. Elia also tried to make the case that the state should develop a $30 million professional development fund for teachers, who will need training as they draw up lesson plans and curriculum around a new set of K-12 learning standards.

Source: Elia: Budget plan shortchanges education – Times Union