BY JEFF CHUDZINSKI
North Country This Week

MASSENA — Foundation aid to school districts is expected to decline in the near future, something that Superintendent Pat Brady is attempting to address now with the board of education.

Despite a proposed budget that would include a nearly 18% increase in foundation aid for the district, Brady said that can’t be relied upon in the near future.

“I think it’s important to note that this is the last year of the three-year phase-in of the foundation aid. So you can expect that in the out years, you’re going to start to see less increases in foundation aid,” Brady said at a recent board of education meeting.

Foundation aid levels are well below where they were originally intended, leading state lawmakers to bridge the gap over a three-year period beginning in the 2021-2022 state budget.

That additional aid is coming to an end however, leading school officials to take steps in preparation for a shortfall.

According to Brady, state allocations totaled $19.8 billion toward foundation aid in 2021-22 to cover 30% of the spread. For 2022-23, $21.3 billion was planned to cover 50% of the shortfall, with 2023-24 seeing the total elimination of any shortfall.