Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Elise Stefanik , along with State Senator Jim Tedisco and Assemblyman Robert Smullen, today announced $650,000 in funding has been secured for Indian Lake Central School District and Long Lake Central School District.
This announcement comes after the lawmakers’ advocacy for these school districts after they had been left out of New York’s Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) fund.
“I am proud to announce that, following my advocacy, these North Country schools will no longer be left without support,” Stefanik said. “Now, these smaller schools will have access to the resources they need. No school – regardless of its size and location – should be left unable to equip the future generation.”
“Thank goodness a wrong has been righted! The announcement that Indian Lake School District and Long Lake School District in Hamilton County will finally receive $650,000 in combined federal funds that the state received and will now distribute is a victory for Hamilton County taxpayers, students and educators. I want to thank Governor Hochul and State Education Commissioner Betty Rosa for listening to the concerns that myself, Congresswoman Stefanik and Assemblyman Smullen have made and working to find common ground for the common good of all of our shared constituents in Hamilton County,” said Senator Jim Tedisco (R,C-Glenville).
"I'm glad the state government took my letter and the joint letter written by myself, Sen. Jim Tedisco, and Rep. Elise Stefanik seriously. The reallocation of these funds to Indian Lake Central School District and to Long Lake Central School District was imperative in keeping these schools, the teachers, and the students, going for the next year. Too many times we've seen rural school communities be left behind when it comes to resource allocation. I'm pleased to see that the State Education Agency could accommodate these two school districts," said Assemblyman Robert Smullen.
“We are thrilled and extremely grateful to receive this news. Our students, staff and school community at large will benefit tremendously from this financial support. We owe a special thanks to NYSED for finding a pathway to make this happen and to all of the parents, staff members, elected officials, and colleagues across the North Country and state who advocated on our behalf. It truly takes a village,” said Noelle Short, Superintendent, Long Lake Central School.
“This is just terrific news and simply a game changer in the amount of support we will be able to provide students from the loss of learning during the COVID Pandemic. We are just grateful for everyone's support with this issue,” said David Snide, Superintendent, Indian Lake Central School.
A breakdown of the funding can be seen here:
- $382,000 to Indian Lake Central School District
- $268,000 to Long Lake Central School District
Stefanik, Tedisco, and Smullen pushed both former Governor Cuomo’s Administration and Governor Hochul’s Administration to assist in securing this funding.
