Budget & finance
Principals worry the funding will eventually be pried out of their budgets and said hiring quality teachers could be a challenge.
At a Monday Board of Regents meeting, state education officials called for a $2 billion increase in state aid for the 2025-26 school year, as well as updates to Foundation Aid.
A more than 300-page report on how to revise the state’s school funding formula prompted mixed initial reactions from advocates and lawmakers.
About half of the city’s public schools would have otherwise lost out on $157 million dollars in midyear cuts, according to the city’s Education Department.
Since taking office in 2022, the Brooklyn council member and former teacher has visited nearly 100 schools across the five boroughs.
Dozens of cultural arts organizations flocked to Lincoln Center for an event held by Council member Gale Brewer, connecting local schools to arts education programs.
New York City officials are trying to rein in a private school special education payment system they say has run amok. Some families and advocates say they’ve gone too far.
The groups in the coalition previously joined forces to defend programs put at-risk by the expiration of federal stimulus dollars. Now, they want to see the state’s Foundation Aid formula updated.
Saferwatch worked with Corey Johnson, the former City Council speaker, to get its security app in schools. He says he had no clue that Terence Banks, brother to David Banks and Deputy Mayor Philip Banks, ended up replacing him.
Summer Rising costs the city roughly $240 million a year, but some observers question whether the program is the best use of city resources.
Michael Rebell, of the Center for Educational Equity, led a legal battle 30 years ago that paved the way for the state’s Foundation Aid formula.
Earlier this year, NYC officials blamed the upgraded cafeterias for encouraging kids to eat more, and as a result, they cut popular foods from school menus.
The city’s early childhood education system has taken center stage during budget negotiations between Mayor Eric Adams and City Council this year.
If the city doesn’t allocate additional funding, officials “will have an all out war with parents, teachers, and the Albany legislature,” the teachers union warned.
As NYC closes the books on a school year marked by curriculum changes, political strife, and budget woes, we’re already looking ahead to the first day of school on Sept. 7.
The pages break down how much money each school received per student, and allows you to compare it to the citywide average of roughly $21,112 per student.
The funding will help keep school budgets afloat, restore hours that had been cut from the city’s popular summer school initiative, and stabilize a slew of other programs.
Council members questioned officials as the looming expiration of federal COVID relief money threatens to shave $808 million from the Education Department’s budget.
The smaller budget is largely the result of expiring federal relief dollars, and Adams’ proposal saves a slew of programs that were on the chopping block.
By far, this marks the city’s largest commitment to date to replace the dwindling pandemic aid.