Superintendents Will Meet to Address Cuomo Tax Cap

As the potential realities of Gov. Andrew Cuomo's proposed property tax cap begin to set in with school districts across the state, about 200 school leaders from 36 districts across Suffolk County will meet with elected officials on Saturday to develop advocacy strategies for funding issues.

State Sen. John Flanagan, R-Smithtown, and Assemb. Steve Englebright, D-East Setauket, are slated to attend the Suffolk County School Superintendents Association meeting Saturday morning at the Sherwood Instructional Support Center in Holbrook.

In a statement outlining the goals of the advocacy workshop, the SCSSA stressed "the importance of Long Island speaking with one voice to the rest of the state."

"Before the law is enacted, you want to lobby the representatives to put in certain things to make the law less arduous," said Three Village interim superintendent Neil Lederer, a past SCSSA president.

Lederer, who will be accompanied at the meeting by two school board trustees, has been critical of the tax cap recently, calling it "very bad" for districts following . He expects Saturday's workshop to be key in helping school officials have their voices heard.

"It helps rally the troops and get people motivated," Lederer said.