Rural Schools Association of New York State Executive Director David Little presented information and heard from community members during a Rural Schools Issues Forum on Wednesday, Nov. 12, hosted by Herkimer-Fulton-Hamilton-Otsego BOCES at Herkimer College.
After several forums, about halfway through his visits across the state, Little said a theme has developed of the top concern of rural school communities: the federal government’s cuts to education and how they will affect state funding. Other top concerns include electric buses, student mental health, staff recruitment and the challenges rural school face in implementing the state’s Portrait of a Graduate initiative.
Little said the goal of the forums is to take notes, put the issues rural school communities are concerned about into a policy brief and advocate to state legislators for the changes to be made.
“You have to give them the solutions as well as the problems,” Little said.
During the forum at Herkimer College, Herkimer BOCES District Superintendent D.J. Shepardson introduced Little. Audience members gave input and asked questions about topics including regional schools, school-based health centers, implementing Portrait of a Graduate, using community members and businesses as a resource and more.
Notes from all of the forums are important for forming a larger picture, Little said, adding that the last time he did a tour like this three years ago, the results were impactful.
Little said the secret about state legislators is that they’re intelligent people and they do care, but they can’t know everything about everything.
“They don’t know what they don’t know,” Little said. “We’re doing this to make sure that they do.”
So for the things that rural school community members care about, they need to advocate for them, Little said.
“That’s our job,” he said. “And we’ll do it.”
Rural school community members can continue to provide input and respond to others’ comments online through ThoughtExchange at https://bit.ly/ruralforum.
Rural Schools Association of New York State Executive Director David Little speaks on stage during a Rural Schools Issues Forum on Wednesday, Nov. 12, hosted by Herkimer-Fulton-Hamilton-Otsego BOCES at Herkimer College.
Rural Schools Association of New York State Executive Director David Little speaks to audience members during a Rural Schools Issues Forum on Wednesday, Nov. 12, hosted by Herkimer-Fulton-Hamilton-Otsego BOCES at Herkimer College.
Herkimer-Fulton-Hamilton-Otsego BOCES District Superintendent D.J. Shepardson introduces Rural Schools Association of New York State Executive Director David Little at a Rural Schools Issues Forum on Wednesday, Nov. 12, hosted by Herkimer BOCES at Herkimer College.