OLEAN — Rural schools face numerous challenges that need to be addressed, the executive director of the Rural Schools Association of New York State told educators meeting at the Olean BOCES Center.
State policies have made the problems Upstate schools face worse, said David Little, executive director of the Rural Schools Association, who is traveling across the state asking school administrators and other educators about challenges they face and what they are doing to address them.
Speaking to about 20 educators in Olean on June 5, Little said the lack of state economic development efforts in rural areas is a contributing factor. That has led to the exodus of more than a million since what he called the Great Recession. Fewer people puts more stress on the tax base and businesses, he explained.
“We bleed 250,000 college-educated New Yorkers a year” from the lack of jobs to keep them here, Little said.
TOP 10 CHALLENGES
He shared a top 10 list of the challenges facing rural New York:
10. Layering on of new mandates. The cumulative impact of competing rules and reporting requirements leave school districts struggling.
9. Lack of early-age readiness to learn. The state’s approach to transportation and paying for the first year of universal pre-kindergarten while awaiting partial reimbursement hampers early learning.
8. No state economic development plan. Hosting power projects and transmission lines to get that power to New York City, rural Upstate create too few jobs. Rural graduates “leave the state in droves” because of a lack of jobs, Little said.
7. A need for flexibility in laws and regulations. Laws are increasingly promulgated by leaders from high-population areas that do not understand the needs of rural areas, keeping local officials from coming up with creative solutions.
6. The impact of enrollment decline. Fewer students leads to decreased state and federal aid.
5. The need for a regional approach to education. School district consolidations and mergers have not worked. Regional high schools that can provide broader curriculum for rural students should be encouraged.
4. The need for rural broadband internet access. If broadband were treated like a utility, it “could revolutionize life” in rural New York, “making rural life a viable choice once again,” Little said.
3. Inability to retain staff. Rural schools are not only competing with each other for teachers and instructional staff, but also with wealthy suburban districts. Most school districts are also having difficulty recruiting bus drivers.
2. Lack of access to mental health services. Post-pandemic rural residents suffer from isolation, poverty, distance to work, alcohol and opioid abuse. School-based health care centers to meet health care and mental health needs can help make up for a lack of these services in rural areas.
1. The need for education funding reform. The state aid formula needs to be adjusted to account for the challenges facing schools. While Foundation aid was restored to schools this year, a funding formula that helps those who need it most need to be adopted.
FUNDING AND MANDATES
New York state, Little said, pays an average 35% of a school district’s budget, while local property taxpayers foot about 60% of the bill and the federal government the remainder. Most other states pay 60% of a school district’s expenses, he said.
In the state, a few wealthy school districts pay up to $100,000 per child, while others in mostly rural areas pay less than $10,000 per student. “We rely on what the community can afford,” Little pointed out.
The issues of school safety and mental health also need to be addressed.
Little said comments and concerns expressed in the meetings with school officials across the state will be used to frame the 2024 legislative priorities for the Rural Schools Association.
State mandates on electric buses are another concern of rural districts, Little noted. The longer distances the buses travel in rural areas plus the hills and weather have not been taken into account by state lawmakers. Also, electric buses are 6 feet longer than traditional 60-passenger buses and may not fit into garages.
Then there is the issue of where will the electricity come from to recharge all these new electric buses plus the growing number of private and public electric vehicles, Little said. The electric grid may not be able to handle to additional load.
One educator attending the presentation said staffing issues surrounding school bus drivers is becoming critical. He suggested new school bus drivers could be more quickly certified by local examiners than by the Department of Motor Vehicles. This could get more local drivers involved, he added.
Little said teacher certification issues restrict recruitment and retention of new teachers. Plus, he said, new teachers need to get their master’s degree within five years. These costs, along with repayment of student loans and lower salaries in rural districts, hamper recruitment efforts.
DISCUSSING OUTCOMES
While rural school districts often have graduation percentage rates in the high 90s, only one in seven go on to get a college degree.
“We owe more to these kids,” Little said. Regional high schools working closely with BOCES and SUNY and community colleges are one answer, he added.
Another educator asked how Cattaraugus County school districts can prepare students for the 1,000 or more jobs that will be opening up in the next several years in the area. New ventures include Cimolai, the steel-fabrication company that bought the Siemens Energy plant in Olean and the new Great Lakes Cheese Co. plant under construction in Franklinville.
Students have to be exposed to STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) at a much earlier age than when they are in high school, Little said. Field trips exposing students to what jobs are available locally should start around fourth grade. With virtual reality goggles, students can “visit” local businesses without leaving school.
The “moral dilemma” in education is whether to teach kids what is needed to fill local jobs or to continue their education in fields that interest them, but may not provide jobs in their hometown. “You’ve got to do both,” Little said.
There is a need to focus on what the community needs to grow. “We are not connecting early enough with what kids can do.”
Evelyn Sabina of Dream It Do It in the area said what local employers are looking for are employees who “show up on time, are honest and willing to learn.” The students need the other skills they are learning in schools and employers will train them in manufacturing or service industries.
“Start planting the seeds when they are young,” instead of waiting until students are in high school, she said.
Jim Schifley, BOCES assistant superintendent for career and technical education, said many students today “want a goal to work for, not just a job.”
BOCES graduates between 50 and 60 welders a year, but not all go into the field. Committing the resources to train welders and have them decide not to go into the field is concerning, Schifley said, “We’re trying to find the reason why.”
