By JIMMY LAWTON

All St. Lawrence County school districts will receive increases in operational state aid for 2014-15, but it won’t be enough to avoid cuts for most schools.

Operational aid, like it sounds, is aid that can be allocated to maintain programs and pay for services, such as BOCES.

While all schools are expected to receive a boost according to the proposal issued by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo on Tuesday, Potsdam Superintendent Pat Brady says the amount of aid for individual schools will do little to address the growing costs and unfunded mandates they face.

He said that while operational aid in his district increased by $284,831, most of that is in the form of reimbursement for services from the previous year.

He said the most important number for schools is the non-categorical aid. For Potsdam, that equates to just $133,152.

Non-categorical aid can be used to offset cost increases in salaries, pensions, health insurance and programs. It represents the amount of money the state is restoring to the Gap Elimination Adjustment, which was first introduced in the 2010-2011 fiscal year as a way to help close New York’s then $10 billion budget deficit.

The GEA is money that is deducted from state aid originally promised to school districts based on state aid formulas.

To close the “gap” the state divided the shortfall among all school districts by reducing state aid. The aid that has been lost by districts totals in the millions for some schools, pushing many toward insolvency.

A summary of the governor’s proposed state aid to each school in St. Lawrence County follows.

In the summary, the first number represents the total amount of state aid a school can receive under the proposed budget, including aid for building projects, equipment, transportation and other set costs. While the amount may be lower than the previous year for some schools, it does not mean the school will receive less aid that can be used for operations.

The summary also includes operational aid increases, which were described above and the non-categorical aid increases, which is the best indicator how much more state funds districts will receive to run their schools next year.

The summary follows:

• Potsdam School District is eligible for a total of $13.4 million in state aid, a decrease of $286,659, or 2.1 percent less than the previous school year. Operational aid increased $221,600, or 1.97 percent. The non-categorical aid portion of these new funds for the district is $133,152.

• Ogdensburg School District is eligible for a total of $25.9 million in state aid, an increase of about $3.1 million, or 13.74 percent more in than the previous school year. Operational aid increased $284,831, or 1.35 percent. The non-categorical aid portion of these new funds for the district is $281,355.

• Massena School District is eligible for a total of $27.9 million in state aid, an increase of about $499,594, or 1.8 percent more in than the previous school year. Operational aid increased $582,494, or 2.62 percent. The non-categorical aid portion of these new funds for the district is $515,985.

• Canton School District is eligible for a total of $15.6 million in state aid, an increase of $1.3 million, or 9.0 percent more than the previous school year. Operational aid increased $274,358, or 2.1 percent. The non-categorical aid portion of these new funds for the district is $167,050.

• Gouverneur School District is eligible for a total of $23.8 million in state aid, an increase of about $400,376, or 1.7 percent more in than the previous school year. Operational aid increased $407,453, or 1.9 percent. The non-categorical aid portion of these new funds for the district is $327,938.

• Norwood-Norfolk School District is eligible for a total of $12.7 million in state aid, a decrease of $712,668, or 5.3 percent less than the previous school year. Operational aid increased $223,033, or 1.95 percent. The non-categorical aid portion of these new funds for the district is $192,921.

• Morristown School District is eligible for a total of $4.9 million in state aid, an increase of about $114,981, or 2.38 percent more in than the previous school year. Operational aid increased $114,982, or 2.64 percent. The non-categorical aid portion of these new funds for the district is $91,173.

• Madrid-Waddington School District is eligible for a total of $8.8 million in state aid, an increase of about $119,282, or 1.38 percent more in than the previous school year. Operational aid increased $121,187, or 1.57 percent. The non-categorical aid portion of these new funds for the district is $116,069.

• Lisbon School District is eligible for a total of $7.4 million in state aid, an increase of about $32,128, or .44 percent more in than the previous school year. Operational aid increased $32,129, or .5 percent. The non-categorical aid portion of these new funds for the district is $114,537.

• Hermon-DeKalb School District is eligible for a total of $6.1 million in state aid, a decrease of $82,656, or 1.33 percent less than the previous school year. Operational aid increased $122,442, or 2.33 percent. The non-categorical aid portion of these new funds for the district is $88,545.

• Brasher Falls School District is eligible for a total of $14.7 million in state aid, an increase of about $1 million, or 7.5 percent more in than the previous school year. Operational aid increased $461,475, or 3.91 percent. The non-categorical aid portion of these new funds for the district is $234,033.

• Clifton-Fine School District is eligible for a total of $4.9 million in state aid, an increase of about $76,944, or 1.6 percent more in than the previous school year. Operational aid increased $71,168, or 1.82 percent. The non-categorical aid portion of these new funds for the district is $81,348.

• Colton-Pierrepont School District is eligible for a total of $2.5 million in state aid, an increase of about $117,364, or 4.8 percent more in than the previous school year. Operational aid increased $100,797, or 5.24 percent. The non-categorical aid portion of these new funds for the district is $27,393.

• Hammond School District is eligible for a total of $3.5 million in state aid, an increase of about $166,378, or 5.05 percent more in than the previous school year. Operational aid increased $166,383, or 5.52 percent. The non-categorical aid portion of these new funds for the district is $85,846.

• Heuvelton School District is eligible for a total of $8 million in state aid, an increase of about $68,972, or .86 percent more in than the previous school year. Operational aid increased $270,728, or 3.87 percent. The non-categorical aid portion of these new funds for the district is $93,463.

• Parishville-Hopkinton School District is eligible for a total of $5.9 million in state aid, a decrease of $43,917, or .74 percent less than the previous school year. Operational aid increased $1,773, or .03 percent. The non-categorical aid portion of these new funds for the district is $57,704

• Edwards-Knox School District is eligible for a total of $9.9 million in state aid, an increase of about $373,798, or 3.91 percent more in than the previous school year. Operational aid increased $373,799, or 4.41 percent. The non-categorical aid portion of these new funds for the district is $149,125.