School Board notes

From the Nov. 6 meeting as submitted by the district

Retired Fulton School Superintendent Bill Lynch provided an update on the Maisto et al. v NYS lawsuit, which the Niagara Falls School District has been involved. The "Maisto case" refers to Maisto v. State of New York, a lawsuit involving parents and children from eight small city school districts, including the Niagara Falls City School District.

The lawsuit alleges that the state failed to provide sufficient funding, resulting in deep cuts to teachers, staff, and programs that deprived students of a constitutionally required "sound, basic education.”

Most recently, in the case, the trial court ruled on February 28, 2025, that the State’s position — that full funding of foundation aid is a reasonable and rational remedy for the State’s constitutional violation —is supported.

Plaintiffs are appealing this ruling. Plaintiffs are asking the Appellate Division to direct the State to determine the funding required to provide a sound basic education to at-risk students and then to fund it. The plaintiffs’ appeal is due November 17, 2025.

The State will have 45 days to submit its brief, and the plaintiffs have 15 days to submit a reply brief.

At that point, the briefing will be complete, and oral arguments will be scheduled, probably in late winter. If the court follows its usual pattern, it will rule within 60 days.

At this time, the case’s outcome could be that the Appellate Division affirms the trial court’s decision, and the case is dismissed. Plaintiffs could then appeal to the Court of Appeals since there is a Constitutional issue.

The Appellate Division can reverse a trial court’s decision and make its own findings. If the Appellate Division reverses the trial court’s decision without making its own findings, it could send the case back to the trial court and ask for new findings applying the proper law.

Niagara Falls City School District received $88,051,712 in foundation aid the year the case was won. Niagara Falls received $111,553,382 in foundation aid in fiscal year 2023-24 and was deemed ‘fully funded.’

A professional judgment review conducted in 2022 by Dr. Stephen Uebbing found that Niagara Falls requires an additional $56,533,048 to provide programs and services to its at-risk students.

Agenda Review Session for the November 20, 2025, meeting

The board will vote on 24 short term contracts including contracts with:

• Coaching from Fillmore LLC Counseling for male students $18,000.00
• Niagara Alliance for Restorative Practice Restorative Practices $5,000.00 December 1, 2025- January 31, 2026
• Go Bike Buffalo Saturday Academy: We will bring bikes to fix and raffle them off to students. Also fixing community bikes and bike safety

New Business

The board will vote on 12 resolutions at its meeting on November 20, 2025, including:

• Approval of Acceptance of Funds for 2025/2026 Pathways in Technology Early College High School 2.0 Grant
• Approval of Acceptance of Funds for the 2025/2026 Extended School Day I School Violence Prevention Program
• Approval to Apply for One-Time Supplemental Funds for Nutrition and Healthy Eating for Head Start children and families
• Acceptance of State Aid for the purchase of a new generator

Superintendent’s Report

• Congratulations to Cataract teacher Kyle Lynn Tuttle for securing $12,000 in donated school supplies from Paul’s Teacher’s Pet
• Thank you to Abate Intermediate School teacher Ashley Hardy for organizing a breast cancer awareness sponsorship and rally at Roswell Park Memorial Cancer Institute
• Niagara Falls High School 2023 graduate Aisha Makama, a junior at the State University of New York at Buffalo, majoring in biochemistry, has been awarded a $25,000 Obama-Chesky Scholarship for Public Service. Makama will be studying biochemistry overseas in Africa.
• On November 20, 2025, at Abate Elementary, Nasreen Aktar and her organization Naz 716 will give away 600 turkeys for families in need
• The alumni musical Mamma Mia will continue on Friday, November 14, 2025, at 7:00 p.m. and on Saturday, November 15, 2025, at 1:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.
• The Niagara Falls High School building trade students will be going to the Niagara Falls Arts and Cultural Center (NACC). The Western New York Workforce Development Consortium awarded more than $10,810 to buy tools and supplies to help with the restoration of the NACC
• Winter sports will be starting shortly, and the schedule will be distributed soon
• The district will offer an open gym at Niagara Falls High School starting in December, allowing the public to use the track, pool, and gym. The gym will be open on nights that do not have any men’s or women’s basketball
• Recent questions about the air quality at LaSalle Prep School prompted the ordering of multiple tests from the Niagara Falls Fire Department and Stohl Environmental. Both organizations gave LaSalle a clean air quality report. Thank you to Interim Director of Facilities Michael Macri for leading this operation

The next meeting of the Niagara Falls School District Board of Education will take place at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, November 20, 2025 at the District Administration Building

Please note the start time for the November 20, 2025 meeting. The meeting will begin at 4:30 p.m. – one hour earlier than our regularly scheduled meetings, for the purpose of an executive session.