Council Provides Testimony on Future of Foundation Aid

August 14, 2024

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ALBANY, NY – Today, Bob Lowry, The Council’s Deputy Director for Advocacy, Research, and Communications, is providing testimony on the future of Foundation Aid at a hearing conducted by the State University’s Rockefeller Institute of Government.

Our submitted testimony is available here. 

The testimony outlines a general approach for reviewing the formula, suggests principles to guide review, and recommends some specific changes for adoption or consideration. It concludes by offering observations on enrollment declines, save-harmless funding, and district reserves.

The 2024-25 state budget charged the Rockefeller Institute with producing a report and recommendations by December 1.

Easier to Read School Aid Run

January 24, 2024

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ALBANY, NY – The Council's version of an easier to read School Aid run for Governor Kathy Hochul's proposed budget is now available online.

To access the spreadsheet, please copy this link into your browser https://www.nyscoss.org/nyscossdocs/Advocacy2324/2401_BT_Report1.xlsx.The spreadsheet includes table which will produce four reports for any district (hitting "Ctrl P" on any tab will print a report for that tab):

“All Aids” shows aid results by category with 2023-24 and proposed 2024-25 amounts presented side-by-side, with year-to-year change and percentage change. The format makes it easy to identify categories experiencing increases and decreases and which categories may be most influencing the bottom-line total change.

"Save-Harmless Summary" is a first-time addition to our spreadsheet. This tab will show how much, if any, a district is due to receive as save-harmless funding and the reduction in Foundation Aid it would experience as a result of the proposed changes to save-harmless. To illustrate the potential impact of the reduction, this report calculates the reductions as percentages of 2023-24 district total general fund expenditures and 2023-24 district tax levy, providing a sense of the magnitude of budget cuts or tax increases need to offset the aid loss. 

“Foundation Aid Analysis” shows Foundation Aid amounts as calculated under the Governor’s proposal and under the formula as under current law and the difference between the two calculations. As explained further through the link at the end of this article, the Governor proposes two changes to Foundation Aid—lowering an inflation factor and cutting save-harmless. For nearly all districts not on save-harmless, the lower inflation adjustment reduces the size of the increases by about 1.4 percentage points from what they would receive under current law. This tab also shows how some of the key district variables in calculating Foundation Aid have changed over time.

"Estimate Change Over Time" shows whether calculated aid amounts by category for 2023-24 have changed since the time the current state budget was enacted last May. Any variances are due to changes in data, not actions by policymakers. This tab also shows differences by aid category for 2024-25 between the Governor’s proposal and what districts would receive, if current formulas were continued without change. Here, variances can be due to proposed formula changes, but the only formula the Governor proposes to change is Foundation Aid.

Here is a one-page piece which explains the proposed changes to Foundation Aid.

Please write to advocacy@nyscoss.org with any questions or suggestions.

Statement of NYS Council of School Superintendents on Governor Hochul's Proposed 2024-25 State Budget

January 17, 2024

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Albany, NY - New York State Council of School Superintendents Executive Director Charles Dedrick issued the following statement on Governor Kathy Hochul’s proposed 2024-25 state budget:

“Governor Hochul’s proposed 2024-25 state budget would undermine one of the signature accomplishments of her administration—achieving full funding of the Foundation Aid formula.

“The proposal would reduce by over $400 million the Foundation Aid level called for by the formula now in law. That proposed increase—2.1%—would be less than what the budget forecasts for inflation in the coming year. Districts strain now to find resources to offer pay needed to keep and recruit necessary employees.  

“The Foundation Aid changes would further imperil already struggling districts. Past Foundation Aid increases and now expiring federal assistance have enabled widespread improvements in key student services. But repeatedly we hear from superintendents that their schools have taken on helping students and families with many needs beyond academics—health care, child care, after school care, mental health services, food assistance, and more. Many say they cannot meet all the needs in their community. Many, especially in rural areas, say their schools are the only agencies where families can find that help. 

“We thank the Governor for proposing to maintain full funding of reimbursement aids for schools and for prioritizing improving mental health services for schoolchildren and other New Yorkers in need.

“We look forward to working with the Governor, legislators, and partners in education to produce a final budget that does our very best to support all students, everywhere in our state.”

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The New York State Council of School Superintendents is a professional and advocacy organization with over a century of service to school superintendents and assistant superintendents in New York State. The Council provides more than 875 members with numerous professional development opportunities, publications and personal services while advocating for public education and the superintendency.