Paterson to push back school aid payments until June

Governor David Paterson announced today that he will be pushing back school aid disbursements that were supposed to be distributed tomorrow until June 1.

In December, Paterson got slammed by Superintendents from across the state when he delayed payment of $750 million in school aid until January.

The move could be just another kick in the gut for districts like Tupper Lake, which is quickly running out of cash.

Here's the statement from the Governor's office.

“The only way our State can put its long-term fiscal house in order is through significant, recurring spending reductions. In the short-term, however, plummeting revenues and record deficits have once again forced me to take extraordinary cash-management actions in order to ensure the continued orderly operation of our government. New York State is facing severe cash-flow difficulties at the close of the current fiscal year. This requires immediate action, and as a result, a $2.1 billion School Aid payment originally planned to be made on March 31, 2010 – but not statutorily due until June 1, 2010 – will be made at a later date. The State intends to meet the June 1 statutory deadline for making this payment, assuming sufficient cash is available at that time.