As school districts across New York state prepare their budgets for next year, questions remain about whether the state budget will match Gov. Kathy Hochul's proposal.
If that were to happen, school supporters say it would mean hundreds of millions of dollars less in aid from the foundation. This is because the budget includes an inflation calculation that is lower than the current rate.
Brian Fessler, director of government relations for the New York State School Boards Association, told WXXI News this week that “that downward pressure… would only reduce aid to all school districts by about $400 million.” “We therefore expect the proposal to be rejected by Congress.”
However, Ms Hochul claimed that was a false representation of her proposal. Hochul said earlier this month that the changes would reduce the rate of aid growth but would not result in aid cuts.
She said if her proposed budget is adopted, schools would receive a total of $825 million more than last year.
“If we don't maintain historic increases year after year, we won't see a decrease,” Hochul said. “And that’s what they don’t understand.”
fiscal cliff
Fessler said foundation aid is important because it is money that schools can use as needed.
“So if a school district needs or wants to focus on things like school safety, school lunches, early academic services, fill-in-the-blanks, the foundation funding gives them the flexibility to do that. '' Fessler said.
It would be particularly difficult for the Big Five boroughs of Rochester, Buffalo, Syracuse, Albany and New York City if foundation grants were to be cut for next year, just as federal pandemic relief grants end.
“The governor's adjustments … would be a devastating blow to school districts already struggling to meet the needs of some of the state's most vulnerable children,” said the executive director of the Five College District Council. Jennifer Pyle said this in testimony to state legislators during the period. A public hearing earlier this month.
The adjustments Pyle mentioned include changes to the so-called “hold harmless” policy, which prevents state aid to school districts from being cut annually.
“We urge the state to make prescribing more transparent, predictable and inclusive,” Rochester Superintendent Carmine Peluso said at the same hearing. “The formula must be adjusted to effectively address the unique needs of students, especially those with special programming needs.”
Peluso said its special programs include educational services for English language learners (ELL) and students with disabilities.
Syracuse City School District Superintendent Anthony Davis said at the hearing that he was also concerned about whether the district had enough funding to support ELL and special education students.
“When considering how to revise the Foundation's grant formula, we asked states to leverage the most recent census and poverty data to ensure that special needs students, who make up about 21% of students and English learners, I strongly recommend increasing the weight on education,” Davis said.
Mandatory electric school buses
Another pressing issue for many neighborhoods is transportation.
The state requires all school districts, about 700 in total, to transition to electric vehicles between 2027 and 2035. Fessler said 2027 is the deadline for all new purchases and 2035 is the deadline for all schools with flammable engines to be retired.
While it may seem like a distant concern, there are significant costs and considerations for districts to address now, he said.
“That means bus fares alone have roughly tripled. Some of that is covered by state transportation grants. But New York has about 45,000 school buses,” he said. Ta.
Fessler said the lack of cooperation at the state level is causing further confusion and frustration as school districts move forward with what he called a “huge undertaking” to transform school bus infrastructure.
He recommended a more coordinated approach between state energy research and development departments and state education authorities, a partnership critical to successfully transitioning to zero-carbon school buses by 2035. He said it would be.
“Many aspects of this issue are financially challenging, despite various resources being committed at the state and federal level,” he said. “This takes a lot of planning and preparation and practice. And for some of those districts, the 2027 date is incredibly difficult.”
The state budget is expected to be submitted by April 1st.
Includes reporting by Karen DeWitt of New York Public News Network.