Over the past week several meetings have been held for
discussion of putting an end to the GEA, which has had a major impact on school
funding over the past years. The Gap Elimination Adjustment (GEA) has had a
severe impact on state funding to public school districts over the past 5
years. The Senate Republican purposes that almost $1 billion will be returned throughout
state public schools when the elimination of the GEA is completed in the
2015-2016 state budget. Since the 2009-2010 school year, New York States
government has been deducting money from each school districts aid, an amount
known as the Gap Elimination Adjustment (GEA). This money helps the state fill
revenue shortfall.
With huge amounts of money being taken from schools,
education levels begin to decrease because schools have less money to work with,
teachers and other jobs are being lost, and the students are the ones who
suffer the most out of the situation. Although now legislators are now trying to
eliminate the GEA completely, this has been an issue for a long period of time.
Since the GEA was started, by former Governor David Patterson in 2010 and other
democrats who controlled the senate and assembly, republicans have been out to
destroy it ever since. Over the years it has been reduced by almost 62 percent,
although that is only a fraction of money being taking from school. Amounts are
in the billions that schools are being cut short of. If Governor Cuomo can get
this GEA eliminated in the 2015 state budget, it will not only help school
districts financially but also benefit children’s learning environment. Without
the money promised by the state to each school, they are forced to raise money
on their own which could impact local families by increases in taxes. In the
end, the GEA will end up affecting the whole community, not just the schools.
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