Liberty Central School District Superintendent Dr. Patrick Sullivan took part in The Legislative Advocacy Conference, presented by AASA and ASBO, earlier this month in Washington, D.C.

During that time, Sullivan along with other members of the School Superintendents Association, met with U.S. senators and representatives, including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Rep. Marc Molinaro, to discuss key issues impacting school districts.

A focus by the group was fully funding several programs important to effectively educating all students. Modest increases to programs such as Title 4 (funding to provide enrichment and 21st century skills) and IDEA (designed to help level the education playing field for students with disabilities) have been introduced at the expense of other programs, including Title I and 2 (funding to assist low-income and at-risk students).

Superintendents also voiced their support for the CARE for Student Mental Health Act, introduced in the Senate, which would make changes to two key competitive grant programs to better support efforts to train, recruit and retain school mental health professionals and increase access to services in high-need school districts as well as promotes equitable distribution of the funds and reduces barriers to applying for these grants.

“These programs are vital to Liberty Central School District in helping us empower each student to contribute and thrive in a diverse community by pursuing their potential,” Dr. Sullivan said. “We encourage our federal congressional representatives to fully support our students by funding these important programs.”