The Chestnut Street Elementary School in Kane has again met "adequate yearly progress (AYP)" based on student testing conducted by the state Department of Education. Holding the state "achievement recognition" poster are Linda Lorenzo (left), principal at the school, and Jay Israel (right), assistant principal. The next round of state PSSA tests is set for February or March.

The Kane Area School District, as well as other schools in the state, are facing several "unfunded mandates" from the state and federal governments.

Stephanie Eckstrom, a member of the Kane School Board and its legislative delegate, outlined some of the mandates in a recent report to the board.

"Mandates focus on every topic you can think of," Eckstrom told the board. "Many times there is a 'disconnect' between what districts must do and how much it costs."

She said there is often the "devil is in the details" even when funding is provided for a program. For example, a mandated program may receive funding. But it often is up to the school district to pay for training and paperwork associated with the program, she pointed out.

She said a school district administrator and three teachers recently had to attend a four-hour meeting in Port Allegany to discuss paperwork changes for a mandated program. The district had to pay for substitute teachers.

Eckert said that some of the mandated programs especially affect small districts such as Kane because its administrators "wear several hats" and handle numerous  tasks.

She said administrators "are required to attend numerous out-of-district meetings and complete numerous forms."

It also has been pointed out that school districts often are required to pick up more of the cost of a mandated program. Sometimes the funding "disappears" completely, but the mandate remains, according to the state association of school boards.

According to Eckert's report, the state Department of Education has "multiple layers of offices and positions that diligently work to justify their reason for being."

She said "information, protocols and policies seem to be all created by individuals far removed from the classroom without education efficacy in mind."

Eckert called for the Kane Area School District to "challenge" the mandates handed down by the state and federal governments.

"As a board and community, we must advocate to our lawmakers: let us educate our kids," she said.