SALAMANCA, NY- Last week, Congressman Reed participated in a public forum to discuss the importance of federally funded Impact Aid. Impact Aid is a program designed to assist local school districts that do not receive as much property tax revenue to fund their school district due to the presence of tax-exempt property, such as Native American lands or a military base.
“This important program is having a positive impact on schools such as Salamanca so they now have the funds to invest in quality education for our children,” Reed said. “By removing the unfair burden on taxpayers in the city, local officials have more flexibility to spend money on services such as enhancing law enforcement and other needs.”
As a result of Impact Aid funds, Salamanca School District has been able to lower their school tax by 92 percent since 2013.
“Rep. Reed has been a staunch advocate for Impact Aid funding for our school district. The Salamanca School District has made a tremendous investment in academics, student safety, and mental health services for our district because of the program. As a result of Tom’s leadership, graduation rates have increased dramatically. Our partnership with Tom has allowed Salamanca to invest needed resources to promote teaching and learning,” Bob Breidenstein, Superintendent, Salamanca School District stated.
In addition to Impact Aid the forum also included a discussion on recent school violence and steps being taken locally and nationally to make sure students are safe.
