UPDATE: Port Chester Gets Extra $375,000 In State Aid

Assemblyman , D-Rye, said this morning that the agreement reached in Albany on a new state budget would provide an additional $375,000 in state aid for Port Chester schools.

Latimer said now it's up to the school district to decide how the money will be used. Port Chester Schools Superintendent Edward A. Kliszus said the additional funding could cover the salaries about about four teachers, but the decision on how to use the extra money can't be made until after the district resident votes on the proposed budget for next school year.

Kliszus said the extra money would be put to good use, but the district still has a $1.7 million funding gap.

Last night, the district introduced a that continues Port Chester's full-time kindergarten program, but calls for eliminating more than a dozen teaching jobs.

The budget plan was introduced at a time when Port Chester and its teachers have reached an impasse on talks for a new contract and a state-appointed mediator has been named to help them resolved the deadlock.

Kliszus praised state lawmakers, including Latimer and state Sen. Suzi Oppenheimer, D-Mamaroneck, for working to get the district more state aid. However, Kliszus said he believes a key factor in getting more aid for Port Chester was the letter-writing and petition campaign that was led by local PTAs.

"The rumor was we were was going to be a reduction in state aid," Kliszus said.

More than 3,000 petitions urging more aid for Port Chester were turned over to Latimer.