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LOWER HUDSON EDUCATION COALITION
Harrison, NY · EIN 133640622 · Form 990EZ · FY2024 · Micro (<$100K) · lhec.org
revenue
$82K
expenses
$73K
net assets
$77K
employees
—
mission · from form 990

Promote common public education advocacy interests of public school districts using State and regional public education data, school district information, legislative information, advocacy updates and lobbying efforts.

profile · synthesized from sources

The Lower Hudson Education Coalition is a regional advocacy organization representing public school districts in Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, and Westchester Counties, New York. It promotes common interests through legislative lobbying, policy analysis, and coordination among school boards and superintendents. The coalition focuses on state-level education funding, regulatory relief, and operational flexibility for public schools.

named programs · 3 · from sources

What they call their work

Advocacy Toolkit
Provides subscribing districts with legislative memos, policy analyses, and communication resources to support grassroots advocacy.
Legislative Advocacy
Coordinates regional lobbying efforts on state education policy, including foundation aid, pre-K funding, mandate relief, and charter school accountability.
VoterVoice
Online grassroots advocacy system enabling school district representatives to contact elected officials about education policy issues.
activities · 5 groups

What they do

  • Education Policy Advocacy & Reform 4 activities
    • Advocacy for equitable school funding and policy reform
      Advocates at the state and regional level for equitable education funding, including increased per-pupil aid near NYC, maintenance of the Save Harmless policy, inflation adjustments, and reforms to Foundation Aid through district-specific modeling and the establishment of a Foundation Aid Review Commission. Also advocates for timely and equitable tuition payments to Special Act School Districts (SASDs) and protection of their authority.
    • Financial and operational policy advocacy for school districts
      Advocates for increased flexibility in the use of school district reserves, greater efficiency in BOCES operations, and the creation of a statewide Mandate Relief Redesign team to ensure transparency in new education mandates. Also supports deferral of EV bus implementation and increased flexibility in school calendars, transportation rules, and election procedures.
    • Legislative and regulatory advocacy on education issues
      Engages in targeted advocacy on legislative and regulatory matters, including charter school accountability, opposition to the OBBBA voucher program, support for interscholastic athletics legislation, and opposition to the Wrongful Death Bill due to school liability concerns. Also advocates for changes to school board election rules and local flexibility in cell phone policies.
    • Submission of policy memos and letters to government entities
      Submits policy memos, letters, and petitions to state agencies and commissions on issues such as electric utility readiness for schools, universal pre-K class size standards, the Clean Energy Act’s impact on school facilities, and financial amendments related to charter school virtual attendance.
  • Policy Advocacy & Research 1 activity
    • Contracting for governmental relations services
      Contracts with Ostroff Associates to support state and local governmental relations efforts, enhancing advocacy capacity.
  • Parent-Led Education Advocacy 1 activity
    • Operation of online advocacy and constituent engagement system
      Operates an online advocacy platform that enables constituents to contact elected officials about public education issues, supporting grassroots engagement and policy influence.
  • Annual Financial and Activity Reporting 1 activity
    • Publication of fiscal and legislative updates
      Produces and publishes regular fiscal and legislative analyses, including a budget analysis in March 2026, an end-of-year update in December 2025, a mid-year financial plan update in November 2025, a fall fiscal update in 2025, and an end-of-session legislative update in 2025.
  • Uncategorized 1 activity
    • Regional membership expansion and legislative information clearinghouse
      Serves as a clearinghouse for regional legislative activities and provides legislative information to subscribing school districts, with regional membership expanded to include Orange County in 2024.
financials · form 990EZ · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$82K
Contributions & grants$00%
Program service revenue$00%
Investment income$160%
Other revenue$0
expenses
Total expenses$73K
Program expenses—
Admin / overhead—
Fundraising—
Salaries & benefits$0
Grants paid out$0
balance sheet
Total assets$77K
Cash—
Investments—
Liabilities—
Net assets$77K
5 years on record · 2020–2024 · YoY revenue +19.4%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024

Who runs it

board members · 1
  • Karen Belanger — Westchester Putnam School Board Assoc, Administrator & Board Secretary
relationships · 8

Who they work with

  • Dutchess County School Boards Association Coalition — Founding member of the coalition established in 1976.
  • Lower Hudson Council of School Superintendents Coalition — Founding member of the coalition established in 1976.
  • Orange County Coalition — Joined the coalition in 2024 as part of organizational expansion.
  • Ostroff Associates Partner — Contracted for state and local governmental relations services.
  • Public Service Commission Government — Submitted a petition regarding electric utility readiness for schools.
  • Rockland County School Boards Association Coalition — Founding member of the coalition established in 1976.
  • Westchester Putnam School Boards Association Coalition — Founding member of the coalition established in 1976.
  • Westchester Putnam School Boards Association Partner — Provides administrative support including financial processing, IRS filings, and membership outreach.
strategies · 5

How they approach the work

Named approaches extracted from this org’s sources. Where others share an approach, follow it to see the full set of orgs running it.

  • Co-Governance Model for Unified Advocacy
    methodology: co-governance_model
    By including both superintendents and board of education representatives in governance, we produce a unified regional advocacy strategy, because shared leadership builds trust, aligns priorities, and strengthens collective voice in policy discussions.
  • Data-Driven Advocacy Coalition
    methodology: data-driven advocacy coalition
    By leveraging shared data and coordinated lobbying efforts across school districts, we strengthen the collective influence of public education stakeholders on legislative decisions, because evidence-based advocacy increases credibility and policy impact.
  • Grassroots Advocacy Platform
    methodology: grassroots advocacy
    By providing an online platform for constituent engagement, we increase participation in public education advocacy, because lowering barriers to involvement enables broader civic action and strengthens democratic legitimacy of policy demands.
  • Regional Legislative Clearinghouse
    methodology: regional_legislative_clearinghouse
    By serving as a centralized hub for legislative information and coordinated advocacy, we amplify the influence of regional public education interests, because streamlined access to policy intelligence enables faster, more effective responses to state and federal initiatives.
  • Targeted Policy Advocacy and Dissemination
    methodology: policy_advocacy
    By disseminating legislative resources and engaging in targeted policy advocacy, we influence state-level education decision-making, because strategic communication of evidence and policy options shapes the choices of policymakers.