“Byrne-ing” Cash on COVID Expenses, School Superintendents Say Feds Must Help
On Wednesday, Westchester school superintendents and County Boss and Rye guy George Latimer called for Federal COVID-19 funding.
School districts, including Rye, have been slammed with unbudgeted costs for personal protective equipment, cleaning supplies, additional staffing and everything else that is required to run school buildings and protect students and staff during a pandemic.
Latimer got together with Ossining Superintendent Raymond Sanchez, White Plains Superintendent Joseph Ricca and others to call for the Federal help. “Education is the single most in-demand public service that’s provided by any level of government,” said Latimer.
“We have been advocating for federal support since last spring when it became clear that school funding issues had been created due to COVID-19,” Rye schools boss Eric Byrne told MyRye.com. “The fiscal issues we faced last spring became far more significant as we worked toward the reopening of schools. The costs to prepare for opening day were about $500,000 with significant recurring costs projected.”
“Thankfully, the SAFE campaign has been incredibly helpful in addressing needs, but the lack of funding from NYS or the Federal government is problematic. Ray and Joe are representing area superintendents including me in the push for federal assistance in addressing the significant costs associated with COVID-19.”
Dr. Byrne, the most invested superintendent the district has employed in 15 years, draws the words “thoughtful,” “dedicated,” and “human,” to mind. No one can make everyone happy, but as long as his work is transparent and striving to make decisions that are best-for-all, please support him, rather than attaching negative headlines to his name.