Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, announced that she has secured $25 million for the Department of Defense Impact Aid Supplemental Program and an additional $5 million for the Department of Defense Impact Aid for Children with Severe Disabilities Program as part of the Fiscal Year 2017 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which passed the Senate yesterday.
“I was proud to fight for this funding to help schools in the North Country and military communities across the country provide students with the high quality education and services they need,” said Senator Gillibrand. “This is a critical investment that will help ensure children in military communities have access to the same educational opportunities as other children.”
The North Country is home to Fort Drum, which supports over 42,000 servicemembers and civilians, including over 21,000 full-time uniformed and civilian jobs. Fort Drum is home to one of the Army’s premier and most-regularly deployed units, the 10th Mountain Division. It also serves as a major training center for reserve and New York National Guard units. Additionally, nearly 3,000 military retirees and their families live in the vicinity of Ft. Drum.
The Impact Aid programs through the Department of Defense serve military-connected school districts where at least 20-percent of the student population is military dependent. In Fiscal Year 2015, Congress provided funding to 125 military-connected school districts nationwide through the Department of Defense Impact Aid programs, including three school districts in New York, all of which are located near Fort Drum.
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