Seward On Conference Committee For Education, Higher Ed Budgets ALBANY – State Sen. Jim Seward, R-Milford, has been named to the 10-legislator conference committee – five senators, five assemblymen – charged with negotiating budget differences between the two houses in the areas of education and higher education. In a statement, Seward said the senate version, if it can be largely preserved, will achieve “two of my primary goals, … ending the disastrous Gap Elimination Adjustment and significantly raising school aid…