By Mark Scott
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wbfo/local-wbfo-922378.mp3
Buffalo, NY – Tuesday marks the start of a new school year for thousands of students in suburban districts.
For students in Buffalo schools, there's one more day of summer vacation as classes aren't scheduled to begin until Wednesday. But for everyone -- students, teachers and administrators alike -- this school year will be unlike any other.
Some education advocates are calling this the year of reform. Just last month, New York was awarded $700 million in federal Race to the Top funding. And David Albert of the State School Boards Association says that means teachers and administrators will be held more accountable for the performance of their students.
In addition to the $700 million in Race to the Top funding, New York received millions more when Congress approved additional funding to help local districts avoid teacher layoffs.
But the state is still mired in a fiscal crisis. Donald Ogilvie, superintendent of Erie One BOCES, says the continuing uncertainty surrounding state aid has many administrators wondering where they'll find the money to sustain the reforms once the federal money runs out.
The State Public Employment Relations Board says the new school year begins in New York without the threat of a teachers strike. But PERB is reporting 54 school districts have failed to reach contracts agreements with their teachers. The longest-lasting labor dispute is in Buffalo where city teachers are beginning their seventh year without a contract in place.