Governor Andrew Cuomo proposed a budget last week with an increase of $826 million in education funding, but 10 local school districts say that is not enough and they are concerned.

A forum Wednesday night in East Greenbush discussed that issue as it is one of two major sources of revenue for school districts. In recent years, superintendents at the forum say they have received the bare minimum.

Columbia High School senior Grace Davis is hoping to study neuroscience next year. She says she secured that passion thanks to the science and research program offered at her school.

“Opportunities like this really give you an awesome experience for the rest of your life,” Davis said.

Davis has a younger brother and hopes he’ll have the same opportunities in the future. That’s why she helped organize a forum Thursday night on the sustainability of schools.

“I just want to give him and other students younger than him the opportunity that I’ve had,” Davis said.

East Greenbush Superintendent Jeff Simons says his district has received the minimum foundation aid over the last three years. He says being grouped as an average wealth district is making it tough to meet the growing basic student needs.

“We get left with what’s leftover and that has not been sufficient to sustain the quality programs that we're offering our students and our community,” Simons said.

Leaders from nine other school districts, with the same label, expressed similar concerns at this forum. They say at minimum the foundation aid increase should match the rate of inflation, which hasn’t happen in recent years.

“We received an increase of $17,500 last year: That doesn’t even come close to covering the increase in benefits for my faculty and staff,” said Leslie Whitcomb, superintendent of New Lebanon Central School District.

They hope by shining a light on this issue will make a difference in this legislative session. Legislators in attendance acknowledge the challenges districts are facing, as well as the problems with the foundation aid formula, especially since it’s one of the last things addressed in the budget.

“In some insistence, we have been successful in being able to mitigate problems, and other times we, unfortunately, haven’t,” said Assemblymember Jake Ashby.

“Yes, we have a ways to go and this [is] absolutely always one of the big challenges,” said Assemblymember Pat Fahy.

These superintendents say if this financial burden continues, district cuts and/or tax hikes will happen and it’s something they want to avoid.