Winner'08 News
Ithaca, N.Y., September 27--Legislation sponsored by State Senator George Winner (R-C-I, Elmira) to make Cornell University home to the nation’s first legislatively established "Center for Rural Schools," has been signed into law by Governor David Paterson.
The bipartisan measure was sponsored in the Assembly by Assemblywoman Barbara Lifton (D/WF-Tompkins/Cortland).
"We’re making New York a national leader in its commitment to rural education," said Winner, chairman of the Legislative Commission on Rural Resources. "If we’re serious about strengthening upstate New York, we need to aggressively recognize that a rural school district can be a driving force for revitalization. It’s an investment that we believe can produce significant returns for upstate communities and the upstate economy. The Center for Rural Schools can play a key role in any overall upstate revitalization strategy."
Lifton, who serves on the Rural Resources Commission, said, "This establishment of the Center for Rural Schools at Cornell dovetails perfectly with the school reforms and new funding coming from the state. These reforms will allow and encourage our schools to be more robust, productive centers for the whole community. That is especially crucial in rural areas, where the school is already at the hub of community life, but is often underutilized. The research and outreach from this new center will be critical in helping to actually implement those changes that are so necessary to the success of our schools and the revitalization of rural Upstate."
Under the new law, the "New York Center for Rural Schools" will be charged with exploring ways to expand the role of schools in rural communities. It will examine how schools can help address a variety of rural challenges, including poverty and population loss, particularly among young people.
Winner and Lifton said that the new center builds on and broadens the work of the state’s Rural Education Advisory Committee (REAC), which the Legislature created in 1990 to work with rural schools, communities, and state and local agencies to provide information and assistance on addressing issues unique to rural education.
Winner’s 53rd Senate District encompasses all of Chemung, Schuyler, Steuben, and Yates counties, and a portion of Tompkins County (the city and town of Ithaca, and the towns of Enfield, Newfield, and Ulysses).
During his four years of service in the Senate, Winner has become recognized as a leading voice in support of state programs and policies to spark a revitalization of the upstate New York economy. He currently serves as chairman of the joint, bipartisan Legislative Commission on Rural Resources and has consistently emphasized strategies for rural, upstate economic development.
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