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HALT is an ad hoc committee established by the Arlington Board of Education to lobby for school funding tax reform with the goal of reducing the school tax burden on Arlington constituents and making the school funding tax system fair, equitable, understandable, and adequate.
New York State school funding has been dramatically changed by Governor Spitzer and the current legislature, leading to significantly increased state aid for Arlington for the 2007-2008 school year. It is not clear, however, that the system for allocating aid has been improved adequately or that the increased aid will continue to be provided over the next few years as promised. This year HALT will continue to work for a fair state education funding system and to fight harder than ever for government funding for mandated services and programs, both at the state and especially at the federal level. We will reach out to other educational organizations both locally and beyond to be as aware and effective as we can be, and we will strive to keep the community informed about important developments in the area of school funding reform. Where we feel it is appropriate, we will take steps to advocate for positions or programs that would be beneficial and will invite the community to join us in those efforts.
HALT will not hold steering committee meetings this year or try to maintain an email communication system. Rather, we will post information here on the Arlington School District website regarding issues, proposals, and events of interest. Please check here every few weeks for new information. If you have suggestions or information to share, please contact board member and Vice-president Kelly Lappan at klappan56@aol.com. We thank you for your support!
School Finance Forum: January 9, 2008
Informational Links:
Local and State Tax Reform Groups:
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