GUILDERLAND — Local legislators praised educators and educators praised legislators in a love fest of a press conference held at Farnsworth Middle School on Friday morning.
More than a month after the state budget restored Foundation Aid to schools and passed along unprecedented federal funds in aid, and less than a week before residents go to the polls to decide on next year’s school budgets, Farnsworth, a suburban middle school, stood in for schools across the region as two state legislators spoke to the press.

“Schools are the backbone of our communities and set the foundational building block for the next generation and have really been the glue holding our communities together during this pandemic,” said Senator Michelle Hinchey.

She lauded the $1.4 billion increase in state aid for education in this year’s budget, bringing the total to $29.5 billion, which for Guilderland meant a jump in state aid of $2.1 million to $27.2 million. About a quarter of Guilderland’s $105 million proposed budget for next year is funded by state aid.

“We delivered in the state budget this year historic funding levels for education …,” said Hinchey. “For the first time as a state we’ve made a real plan to fully fund Foundation Aid over three years.”

Citing Guilderland’s “highest level of state aid ever,” Hinchey said, “This is one of the reasons I ran for office.”

Her more seasoned Democratic colleague, Assemblywoman Patrica Fahy, credited the Biden administration and New York’s congressional delegation for the federal aid that made the added state aid possible.

“We entered the new year in a little bit of a panic, knowing the economy is still teetering and knowing we were still struggling through COVID; the picture really turned around because of these stimulus packages,” she said.

Fahy said she was game “to still celebrate what we did in the budget over a month ago.”

She praised the school for keeping children safe but learning and engaged. “I read my Altamont Enterprise so I know how much you sweat every single position, every single line of that budget,” said Fahy to the Guilderland crowd.

Superintendent Marie Wiles thanked Fahy and Hinchey for their support. “There is, in my humble opinion, no more important cause than to prepare our young people for the future,” she said.

She noted that, in March 2020, Farnsworth Middle School was the site of the first COVID-19 case in the area, and she credited the 950 “truly amazing professionals” who kept Guilderland’s schools open nearly 180 days during the school year.

“The work for next year is also going to be challenging,” said Wiles as all grades are expected to be in classrooms every weekday.

“We fully anticipate that, when our students return ..., we will unearth many additional needs around their mental and emotional well being …. This infusion of Foundation Aid and state aid to Guilderland is a lifeline, truly,” said Wiles. “It means that we can maintain our programming and also expand our programs in areas where we have the greatest need.”

The proposed 2021-22 budget adds three positions: a new elementary literacy coach; a school psychologist at the high school; and a coordinator of equity, diversity, and inclusivity. Additionally, Wiles noted, about a third of Guilderland’s new aid, $626,400, is to start a pre-kindergarten program.

This would pay for 116 four-year-olds — about half of kindergarten enrollment — and the district is drafting a Request For Proposals for area early-childhood-education providers who are interested in working collaboratively. A lottery may be held if interest exceeds capacity for the fall.

Wiles concluded that she has frequently compared this year to a marathon. “We’re at mile 25,” she said, “but the course has been mostly uphill and often through unfamiliar terrain. But we can see the finish line and we’re going to make it and we’re  going to finish strong.”

Tara Molloy-Grocki, a second-grade teacher who is president of the Guilderland Teachers Association, spoke about the importance of meeting the social-emotional needs of children.

“Starting last summer, we began just embedding different things in our curriculum all day long,” she said. “I teach 6-, 7-, 8-year-olds who are scared. They’re scared about the virus. They’re scared about getting sick. They’re scared about me getting sick.”

Molloy-Grocki said she stresses to her students the health and safety protocols that the district has in place and noted that the kids will instruct their teachers if they see a teacher’s mask askew.

She also said she had been fighting for over 10 years for the restoration of Foundation Aid and couldn’t believe that schools were finally being paid what they are owed. 

“I had tears in my eyes because this is such a relief,” she said.