The Highland Falls-Fort Montgomery Central School District’s Board of Education and administration is asking for your help.

At the February 6 meeting, Superintendent of Schools Michael McElduff and Board of Education President Anne Lawless spoke about a recent FLISA meeting they attended. FLISA – Federal Lands Impacted Schools Association, which former HF-FMCSD Superintendent Dr. Frank Sheboy currently chairs –is an offshoot of NAFIS, the National Association of Federally Impacted Schools. The two are lobbying entities for the federal Impact Aid program, which provides about $3.4 million of the HF-FMCSD’s annual budget.

At the meeting last week, McElduff did not mince words.

“Our funding is at risk,” he said, explaining that not only does President Donald Trump’s proposed elimination of the Department of Education affect the district, but the widely-circulated ‘Project 2025’ also suggests cutting any federal aid to schools that is not directly tied to students. The HF-FMCSD’s aid – “while it only benefits students” – is tied to land. As a reminder, 93 percent of the Town of Highlands’ land is owned by either the federal or state government.

During the meeting McElduff asked for support from the community in getting the message to the federal government that the HF-FMCSD relies on its federal aid.

“Your input is essential in securing the necessary funding to sustain our programs for students,” he said. He went on to say he would provide a sample letter, and the email addresses of the community’s federal representatives, so that those wishing to could help the district make its point. It included ‘talking points’ include noting that without Impact aid, local schools will face devastating consequences, including:

• The elimination of over 30 faculty, staff and administration positions, leading to significantly larger class sizes and fewer individualized learning opportunities.
• Drastic reductions in student resources and services, disproportionately impacting our most vulnerable students.
• Cuts to critical academic programs, extracurricular activities, and necessary building maintenance and repairs, further diminishing the quality of education in our district.

“Our local taxpayers cannot and should not be forced to bear the burden of the federal government failing to meet its commitments,” McElduff said. “Impact Aid is how the federal government pays its share for the students it directly impacts, and removing this funding would irreparably harm our schools, educators, and children.”

To contact the community’s representatives, email: Congressman Pat Ryan (patryan.house.gov); Senator Charles Schumer (schumer.senate.gov) and Senator Kristen Gillibrand (gillibrand.senate.gov).

McElduff, and Lawless, said that contacting other federal legislators is also a good idea – “we know our representatives support us, but we have to make sure others do too,” Lawless said.

The superintendent said it was hard to ask for the help. “But this is not fear-mongering or political rhetoric,” he said, adding the past few weeks have been stressful and filled with uncertainty.

FLISA aid, he added, totals less than $100 million dollars – “pennies compared to the federal budget,” he said. FLISA represents approximately 200 school districts and nearly 900,000 children affected by federally owned land within their communities.