Buffalo Rising Online

Aug 7th, 4:52pm By Elena Cala Buscarino

Assemblyman Sam Hoyt started his press conference this morning with those apt headline choices in announcing the 11th hour save of Phase IV of the Joint Schools Construction Board project.

Word was out last Thursday that Governor Paterson, based on the NYS fiscal crisis, would not sign legislation that would allow this ten-year, $1 Billion, multi-phased project to continue. Hoyt claims that his bill will provide $300 Million in financial assistance and flexibility in financing for the JSCB project.

Through the work of many including Hoyt, Assemblyman Mark Schroeder, Senator Bill Stachowski, Senator Dale Volker, CEO and COO for the Buffalo Public Schools Gary Crosby, Superintendent James Williams, the Buffalo Teachers' Federation and a host of others, Phase IV will go on, but with 3 percent less funding than was originally scheduled.

The Governor has agreed to a 95 percent reimbursement toward the project, rather than the originally planned 98 percent. "Not that we're going to stop trying for the 98 percent," Crosby said. "This will leave us at an overall $20 Million gap, $5 Million of which may be taken care of with money the schools have in reserve. That extra 3 percent from the state would have taken care of another $8 Million, leaving us with only a $7 Million dollar gap."

Crosby stated, "We'll need to design the project at $20 million less, realizing that the schools [slated for improvements in Phase IV] will be short changed. But it's better than a veto altogether. We'll work with the money we have."

When asked where spending will be cut, Crosby replied that new windows would likely be the first thing to go.

Paterson's final pronouncement on the project, according to Hoyt, was that "the show must go on, and we can't let the looming financial crisis stop projects." Hoyt also explained that the bill to reimburse at 98 percent was written more than half a year ago when no crisis was immediately evident. The current Phase III projects that were agreed on at the higher rate will continue to receive 98 percent. Phase IV is slated to begin September 9th, 2009.

"We mobilized the troops and made the governor understand in three business days that this was not a matter of dollars," Hoyt said. "Call it an education process, but the governor's budgeters were concentrating on dollars. Our challenge was to get the governor's office to concentrate on the non-fiscal focus of the project. When we initially celebrated this project 8 years ago, it was on behalf of our children and our city," Hoyt concluded, noting that the students are, and always will be, the main focus of upgraded schools.

Councilmember David Rivera agreed, saying, "It's to the credit of this delegation in making the students of Buffalo a priority."

Crosby remarked that the consolidated effort of everyone involved, union, non-union, superintendent, politicians and so on, was a prime example of what can happen "when everyone is united on an issue and cooperates with reason and prudence."

Phase IV Schools:

3 D’Youville Porter | 17 ECC | 54 Dr. George Blackman School of Excellence | 72 Lorraine Academy | PS 81 | 84 Erie Co Health Care Center for Children | 93 Southside Elementary | 203 Olmsted 5-12 at Kensington | 305 McKinley High School | 197/306 Seneca w/MST Prep

Photo: PHASE IIIb PROJECT | 76 Herman Badillo Bilingual | 300 S. Elmwood Av. 14201 | Major Classroom Additions