Budget & finance
The push to increase pay for paraprofessionals comes as UFT President Michael Mulgrew is up for re-election this year. Some educators who hope to unseat him have called attention to the issue.
Schools Chancellor Melissa Aviles-Ramos is concerned about the governor’s school funding plan. She also asked Albany for more money to help implement a statewide student cellphone ban.
The proposal came Tuesday as Hochul presented her $252 billion 2026 state budget, which called for a nearly $1.7 billion increase in funding for the state’s public schools.
The preliminary budget preserves funding for Summer Rising, but does not replace more than $100 million in expiring money for 3-K.
New York lawmakers will have to navigate questions over how to update the state’s school funding formula, as well as the uncertainties of a second Trump presidency.
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.
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.
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.