Advocacy Toolkit

How to Contact Key State Leaders

Senator representing the Broadalbin-Perth area
Senator Hugh T. Farley
Room 711 LOB, Albany, NY 12247
Phone: (518) 455-2181
2430 Riverfront Center, Amsterdam, NY 12010
Phone: (518) 843-2188
33-41 East Main Street, Johnstown, NY 12095
Office Hours: Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
Phone: (518) 762-3733
Fax: (518) 455-2271
Email: farley@nysenate.gov
Contact Form: http://www.nysenate.gov/senator/hugh-tfarley/contact

Assemblyman representing Fulton County (117th district)
Assemblyman Marc W. Butler
Room 318 LOB, Albany, NY 12248
Phone: (518) 455-5393
33-41 East Main Street, Johnstown, NY 12095
Phone: (518) 762-6486
Email: butlerm@assembly.state.ny.us
C ontact Form: http://assembly.state.ny.us/mem/Marc-WButler/contact/

Assemblyman representing Amsterdam (105th district)
Assemblyman George Amedore
Room 718 LOB, Albany, NY 12248
Phone: (518) 455-5197
1170 Riverfront Center, Amsterdam, NY 12010
Phone: (518) 843-0227
Email: amedorg@assembly.state.ny.us
C ontact Form: http://assembly.state.ny.us/mem/George-Amedore/contact/

Assemblywoman representing Edinburg and Providence (113th district)
Assemblywoman Teresa R. Sayward
Room 940 LOB, Albany, NY 12248
Phone: (518) 455-5565
Email: saywart@assembly.state.ny.us
C ontact Form: http://assembly.state.ny.us/mem/Teresa-RSayward/contact/
Patriot Plain Talk

Know the Facts


Dr. Rick Timbs of the Statewide School Finance Consortium
Posted: 2/28/2012

Advocacy Toolkit
Posted: 2/28/2012
Click here to download the 2012 Advocacy Toolkit.

Assemblyman Butler responds to B-P Superintendent
Posted: 2/24/2012
Assemblyman Marc W. Butler, who represents a large portion of the Broadalbin-Perth Central School District, responded to Superintendent Stephen Tomlinson’s letter to Gov. Andrew Cuomo last week, offering his support for the legislative action Mr. Tomlinson described. Click here to read what Assemblyman Butler wrote »

An Open Letter to Governor Cuomo
Posted: 2/8/2012
Dear Governor Cuomo:
I’m writing to ask for your help, both in your role as governor of the State of New York and as a lobbyist for the students of our state.

Broadalbin-Perth, the school district that I lead—and reside in as a parent of a kindergarten student—is in trouble. We are dangerously close to being unable to provide our students with the sound, basic education that is guaranteed to them by the State Constitution.
Read more »

Advocacy Checklist
Posted: 2/7/2012
Concerned citizens such as yourself ask us all the time, “What can I do to help B-P?” Our answer: Complete one or more of the items on our Advocacy Checklist. Then encourage your friends and family to do the same. It’s that simple.

Statewide School Finance Consortium’s website
Posted: 2/1/2012
Want to know more about state funding for New York’s schools? Visit the Statewide School Finance Consortium’s website, http://www.statewideonline.org/.

Fact Sheets
Updated: 2/8/2012
Fact Sheet: The three tax levy numbers under New York state’s tax levy “cap”
With all the talk of New York’s new “2 percent tax cap,” it may come as a surprise to learn that each school district in the state will present three separate tax levy numbers this spring, as part of their compliance with the new legislation. And chances are good that none of your school district’s three tax levy numbers will be exactly 2 percent. That’s because the 2 percent that you hear about is just one part of a complex formula that school districts must use to calculate two of their tax levy numbers, the tax levy limit and the maximum allowable tax levy. Read more »


Fact Sheet: Tax Levy Limit Formula
Although often referred to as a “2 percent tax cap,” New York’s new tax levy “cap” law does not restrict any proposed tax levy increase to 2 percent. Pursuant to the law, each school district must follow an 8-step calculation, outlined below, to calculate its individual “tax levy limit.” That limit then determines what level of voter support is required for budget approval. Read more »



Fact Sheet: Common Core State Standards
Educational standards are a set of guidelines that outline what students need to learn and the skills they need to have in order to be successful in school and beyond. New York State is in the process of changing its educational standards to align with the national initiative known as Common Core State Standards (CCSS). This document includes answers to some commonly asked questions about this initiative. Read more »



Fact Sheet: School in Need of Improvement
Recently, the State Education Department announced its list of “Schools in Need of Improvement,” and Broadalbin-Perth Middle School was on the list. We know that our residents – especially parents of students who attend the middle school or will soon be attending the middle school – have a lot of questions about this designation. Some of the most frequently asked questions are provided here. Read more »



Fact Sheet: Tax Cap
In this first year of New York’s property tax cap, details about its provisions and implementation continue to evolve. This publication, developed by the Capital Region BOCES Communications Service and Questar III’s State Aid Planning and Communications Services, answers some questions that parents, taxpayers and school staff members may have, based on what we currently know about the tax cap. School districts like Broadalbin-Perth await further clarification about the law from the Office of the State Comptroller, Department of Taxation and Finance, State Education Department, Division of the Budget and the Governor’s office. We’ll provide additional details about the tax cap as soon as they are known. Read more »

Fact Sheet: Mandates
In the most simple terms, mandates are laws. And in public education in the United States, just about everything is mandated.Special education? Check. Building projects? Check. Teacher contracts? Check. Purchasing recycled paper products? Yes, there’s a law for that, too. Read more »