Assembly Candidate Gary Port: Fund our Schools

West Hempstead, NY - Retired Lt. Col. Gary Port (US Army), who is running for the New York State Assembly in the 19th District, believes that the state needs to do a better job funding schools on Long Island.

“For quite a while now, New York has done a bad job funding its school districts. This is a serious problem, but the COVID-19 pandemic makes it even worse. The state needs to wake up - schools are having a really tough time adjusting to the pandemic, and they need all the help they can get,” Port says.

Port says that there are serious inequities in school funding, and that some schools in the state get much more than others. He believes that Long Island schools, particularly those in working-class areas, get the short end of the stick.

“When the state decides how much money each district gets, they don’t take cost of living into account,” says Port. “The West Hempstead School District gets about the same funding as the Oneonta School District way upstate. But it’s way more expensive living here than it is up in Oneonta.”

Port believes that the state needs to take regional coast factors into account when creating the funding formulas. He says this will allow the state to adjust for cost of living, and ensure that Long Island districts get their fair share.

“This is a serious problem all across the island, even for the large, well-off districts,” says Port. “But it’s especially devastating for small districts in middle and working-class areas. There are so many inequities on the island. Let’s get rid of this one.”

Port is a veteran, a small business owner, a proud public school parent, and a resident of West Hempstead. The 19th District covers a significant section of Nassau County, including Mineola, New Hyde Park, Garden City, Carle Place, Brookville, Franklin Square, and West Hempstead.

You can follow Gary on Twitter.com/GaryPort19, like him on Facebook.com/GaryBPort,

or check out his website, www.garyportforassembly2020.com.