NYSUT President Melinda Person

The conversation included topics like school safety/lockdown drills, teacher shortages, absenteeism, along with the discussion around Foundation Aid and Hold Harmless during this year's budget debate. "The perception that school districts are teaching to empty desks, that enrollment has declined so therefore we can cut funding, we really blew that myth away when we went out and talked to educators in schools," Person says. "What we saw was that districts were actually using that decline in enrollment to invest in things that they always to do in our schools." Person said districts are providing extra co-teaching opportunities for students and investing in more extra curricular activities. She says now the study of the Foundation Aid formula will help provide a better framework of future funding, but also that parents, teachers, superintendents and anyone who has a role in the school budget process should have a voice in the process. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices