Aid to financially challenged public school districts would increase by $806.4 million under the budget proposal passed by the state Assembly, according to Assemblywoman Addie Russell.

The Theresa Democrat, who represents the northern half of St. Lawrence County, said the spending plan would close the current budget gap with no new taxes. The proposal would also help create jobs and offers assistance to keep families in their homes, she said.

The Assembly budget proposal also honors the two-year commitment made last year to increase school aid by approximately 4 percent, she said.

Specifically, Russell said, the Assembly budget proposal:

• provides $178 million to schools districts by redirecting proposed competitive grant funding to Foundation Aid;

• restores $10.2 million to teacher resource and computer training centers;

• increases adult literacy education by $1 million;

• rejects the executive proposal to require schools to share in the cost of pre-school special education;

• increases aid to public libraries by $1 million;

• $3 million for ATTAIN Technology Labs;

• increases support to local community colleges by $205 per full time student;

• provides additional funding to the State’s Veterinarian School of Cornell University, specifically for students studying large animal care.

Russell said the 2012-13 Assembly budget proposal supports the governor’s funding levels for various Empire State Development Corporation projects to help promote business growth. However, the Assembly proposal goes further and, among other programs, restores $100,000 to the Maple Producers Association, a significant agriculture industry in the North Country.

The proposal includes:

• restoring $821,00 for the New York Farm Viability Institute;

• creation of a Dairy Task Force to plan for an expansion of the current dairy herd in the state;

• authorizes the Linked Deposit Program to provide a 3% interest rate reduction for agricultural businesses;

• provides an additional $1.185 million for Centers for Advanced Technology, such as the center at Clarkson University;

• Commercialization Assistance Fund ($10 million).

• a second round of loans within the Small Business Revolving Loan Fund ($25 million);

• creation of a new Back to Work NY Jobs Program ($20.25 million);

The Assembly budget proposal includes a restoration of $3.5 million to the Rural Preservation Program and $20 million to the Foreclosure Prevention Program. These restorations help maintain progress in the areas of affordable housing, economic development and community renewal, as well as aim to keep more hardworking families from losing their homes,” Assemblywoman Russell noted. “Our budget also provides $5.4 million to fund efforts to retain New York’s military installations,” she said.