Andrea Macko is reporting for Porcupine Soup the Greenville Central School District has learned it will receive both an increase in state aid totaling more than $491,000, plus $3.76 million in federal relief funds for the 2021-22 school year. “I am happy to say this budget definitely places school districts in a much better position financially than we were anticipating,” said Greenville Superintendent Tammy Sutherland at the April 12 school board meeting. “We were under the threat of a 20 percent cut most of this year, and that did not happen,” she added. Greenville’s state aid is up 3.68 percent, to nearly $13,900,000. Total federal aid comes to almost $3,762,000. As for the federal aid, the funds will be available for use through 2024, to help schools safely reopen for in-person instruction, address learning loss, and respond to students' academic, social and emotional needs due to the disruptions of the COVID-19 pandemic. Districts must make public by July 1, their plans for prioritizing spending on non-recurring expenses to meet those goals, said Sutherland. Full-day pre-kindergarten programs for four-year-olds is also on the table. “It is a work in progress… we will be working and planning for how that money will be spent,” Sutherland said. The state budget also included a $249,000 increase in Foundation Aid, a program designed to provide additional aid to districts with needier students. Greenville’s 2021-22 tentative budget is $32.89 million, an increase of 1.96 percent over the current spending plan. The tax levy would increase to 1.15 percent. The annual school board elections and budget vote is May 18. Read the full story at porcupine soup [dot] com.