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This is my first year as a reporter working the education beat. I’ve learned a lot in the last nine months — not least of which is how incredibly complex and multifaceted the education system is in both New York state and across the country.
Education funding makes up about a third of the overall state budget. We also spend, on average, more per pupil than any other state. And New York City is the largest school district in the country, with nearly one million students. The state also has a large population of students who need special services, like those who have disabilities or those who are English Language Learners.
There’s a lot going on and a lot to cover. Here are some of the most important education stories in New York this year and what to keep an eye on next year:
New York Fully Funded Foundation Aid
Since 2007, New York state has used a complicated formula, called Foundation Aid,
to distribute state funding to public schools. For the first two years
of its use, the state met its Foundation Aid obligations. But economic
downturns like the Great Recession and Covid-19 led to cuts in education
funding.
During this year’s budget cycle,
Gov. Kathy Hochul attempted to cut the formula’s Save Harmless
provision, which ensures that no district receives less funding than it
did the year prior. Ultimately, the legislature rejected her proposal
and instead increased education funding to nearly $30 billion, fully
funding Foundation Aid for the first time. Hochul recently said she no longer supports removing the Save Harmless provision.
School finances are incredibly complex: I’ve heard sources
joke that only a handful of people understand state aid. And education
funding, which makes up about a third of the state budget, is a heated
topic during budget negotiations. But it’s crucial to making sure
schools across New York receive adequate funding to provide students
equitable access to education.
The Rockefeller Institute Released its Foundation Aid Report
Education
policy advocates all seem to agree that the Foundation Aid formula is
outdated. However, there are a number of ideas as to how to improve it.
Also, as part of the state budget, Hochul and the legislature allocated
$2 million for the Rockefeller Institute to assess the current
Foundation Aid formula. The think tank’s314-page report, published in early December, evaluates each piece of the formula independently and suggests recommendations for how to improve it.
Many education policy advocates are in favor of developing
an entirely new formula, but that would likely take years. In the
short-term, we’ll watch to see what — if any — changes Hochul and the
legislature implement during next year’s budget negotiations.
Mayoral Control
Beginning with former mayor Michael Bloomberg,
the New York City mayor has retained control of the city’s school
system since 2002. Previously, New York City schools were governed by a
decentralized system run by local school boards.
The legislature must periodically decide whether to extend
the mayor’s oversight of the school system and the Panel of Educational
Policy, which effectively serves as the city’s school board.
This year, Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mayor Eric Adams both
pushed to extend mayoral control for another four years; the legislature
settled on two.
I find this interesting because it’s a relatively unusual
model of governance — only a few cities across the country function this
way. In New York, it’s anybody’s guess as to whether it’s working as it
should: The State Education Department had commissioned a report
to evaluate the New York City school system before and after the
implementation of mayoral control. But the report, released this year,
was inconclusive: “There is little evidence that any governance
structure has reduced longstanding inequities in educational access and
attainment among students.”
David Banks Steps Down as New York City’s Schools Chancellor
David Banks, the former chancellor of the New York City school system, was swept up in the federal probe into Mayor Eric Adams
and his administration. In September, federal agents raided the home of
Banks and his partner, former Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright. Agents also seized devices from Banks’ brother, Phil Banks, and searched the home of another brother, Terence Banks.
David Banks announced later that month that he would be
retiring at the end of the year from his job overseeing the nation’s
largest school system. A week later, he announced that he would resign
immediately, noting that Adams had “decided to accelerate that timeline.” Melissa Aviles-Ramos, who previously served as Banks’ chief of staff, took over the post.
This was a surprising news story, especially for a district
with nearly a million kids, including large populations of students who
are English Language Learners, have special needs, or live in temporary
housing.
Aviles-Ramos, who will now oversee big changes within the
city school system — including an overhaul of the literacy program, as
well as efforts to cap class sizes — told Chalkbeat
she shares the vision of the Adams administration: “My North Star is
their North Star, but have to make sure that I keep the train moving.
Donald Trump’s Re-Election Could Mean Changes for Schools
Donald Trump won his second term as president, which will almost certainly impact the education sector.
Among his campaign promises: to eliminate the federal Department of Education in order to transition control over education back to the state level. But this won’t be an easy task. It would take an act of Congress to close the department, and the agency is federally mandated to administer funding to low-income schools and students with disabilities.
And if Trump isn’t successful in closing the department altogether, we’ll likely see him push for cuts to federal education funding anyway, much like his administration did during his first term.
For example, he tried to tighten the requirements for which students qualify for free school lunch, which would have impacted nearly 1 million students.
Congress roundly rejected education cuts last time. But now, with Republicans controlling both the House of Representatives and the Senate, Trump may be able to make more progress. We’ll be watching closely to see what he and his nominee for Secretary of Education,Linda McMahon, do in 2025.
What should I look into in 2025?
Let me know: bianca@nysfocus.com.