Back on September 18, Highland Falls-Fort Montgomery Central School District Superintendent Michael McElduff, and former Superintendent Dr. Frank Sheboy, now the HF-FMCSD Legislative Liaison, attended the Committee for Education Funding (CEF) annual education gala in Washington DC.

The event invites the education community – advocates, policymakers, and administrators – to come together in support of education funding and to honor those “who have demonstrated their strong commitment to increasing the federal investment in education for the success of our nation’s students”. CEF is the nation’s oldest and largest education coalition.

The main reason the HF-FMCSD was invited to the gala was to recognize the district as this year’s ‘spotlight school’ in the CEF’s 2025 budget, when it comes to Impact Aid.

As well, the district officials were invited by the National Federation of Impacted Schools (NAFIS) to represent the entire NAFIS community as well as the Federal Lands Impacted Schools Association (FLISA). The district belongs to both organizations.

McElduff and Sheboy had the opportunity to engage with several members of the Department of Education throughout the evening, while also networking with key educational advocacy organizations.

McElduff expressed his gratitude to the Board of Education for supporting his participation in this “significant event”.

“The experience provided valuable insight into the extensive efforts behind the scenes to secure continued advocacy for educational funding,” he said. McElduff emphasized his pride in representing the district at such an important gathering, which underscored the critical work being done to advance the future of education and additional federal funding for school districts.