Assemblymember Marie Waldron, Special to Valley NewsSchools are essential, and the need to educate our children is not negotiable. The 2020-2021 budget package maintained school funding based on 2019-2020 attendance levels, which essentially placed a funding cap on all schools, even those experiencing high levels of growth.Before enactment of this year’s education trailer bill, Senate Bill 98, school districts were “held harmless” over declining year-to-year enrollment. If the district lost students, it would still be funded at last year’s level. If the school added students, it would receive more money. But under SB 98, a growing school does not generate more money. If the school has 10% or even 100% more children, it receives funding based on the same number of students
