Gov. Andrew Cuomo reported large increases to foundation aid for high-need schools across New York state, but Jamestown Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Bret Apthorpe begs to differ.

When the school aid runs for school districts across New York state were released late Tuesday, Apthorpe was in “disbelief” because the report showed a significant increase in foundation aid of 10%.

However, Apthorpe said a categorical change to this year’s report revealed the foundation aid increase of new money was closer to 0.63%.

“In the (budget briefing), the statement refers to (Cuomo) fixing fair funding of poor schools and yet this is the most convoluted aid information I have ever seen as a superintendent,” Apthorpe told The Post-Journal.

Included in Cuomo’s Executive Budget Proposal, was the announcement that total school aid would increase by $826 million, or a 3% increase from the previous school year.

Much of school districts’ total aid is comprised of foundation aid while other aid reported categories are state mandated and expense driven. For Jamestown, it was reported in the proposal that the school district would receive $56,080,265 for the 2020-21 school year, an increase of more than $5 million from the 2019-20 school year.

However, for the 2020-21 aid runs, the categories for BOCES; hardware and technology; and software, library and textbook are no longer listed as line items as was the case for the 2019-20 reports.

“What he did was, he eliminated them and added them to foundation aid,” Apthorpe said. “On its face value, it shows a 10% increase, but all that was done was taking these other aid categories and combining them into foundation aid so it looks like new money.”

Apthorpe and other school officials, after reviewing the numbers, concluded that aid for the removed categories was now included in foundation aid.

Apthorpe said the district determined that the foundation aid increased 0.63% after subtracting the amount of aid for BOCES; hardware and technology; and software, library and textbook the district received the previous year from the proposed foundation aid for 2020-21.

Apthorpe added that the release of the school aid reports was altered when compared to previous years.

“Yesterday (Tuesday) the budget briefing is put out and the message is, ‘this budget increases aid 3% and finally fixes the unfair funding of poor schools.’ … All of the New York papers today report education funding increased 3%, money going to high need schools,” Apthorpe said. “Late last night (Tuesday evening), the actual numbers are released after that. .. So, the stories from the paper are ‘increase in aid, poor schools are finally getting the funding that is constitutionally required.’ It’s in all the papers. Today (Wednesday), the aid runs come out, the actual numbers, and it’s even more convoluted than it has ever been in the past.”

Apthorpe also noted that JPS’ total aid increase, which considers other categories of aid that is separate from foundation aid, was 2%, reiterating that there is a proposed increase of 0.63% of new money. He added that the consumer price index increase for inflation is 1.8%.

In the governor’s budget briefings released Tuesday prior to the release of the official school aid numbers, Cuomo highlighted the overall increase to school aid now totaling $28.5 billion that touted a prioritization of “support for poor schools.”

“Where’s the money if it’s going to high-need schools and we’re a high-need school?” he asked. “Who is getting the money? I’m going to work with our elected officials to find the answers to that.”

Apthorpe said his understanding of the state aid announcement reminds him of the term “doublespeak,” which is used in the George Orwell fictional book “1984” when referring to a government body distorting truth.

“On one hand you have a public message that says this budget in aid, and these aren’t my words, fixes funding to high-need schools,” Apthorpe said. “Jamestown is a high-need school. … What I don’t understand is the contradiction — the doublespeak.”

He said he will continue to advocate for Jamestown and high-need schools to state Assemblyman Andy Goodell, R-Jamestown, and state Sen. George Borrello, R-Sunset Bay, to better understand the governor’s rationale. Apthorpe added that the state aid numbers are not official until Cuomo’s proposed budget is finalized in April.

“The war for fair funding continues,” Apthorpe said.