New York has passed a third budget extender after leaders missed their April 1 deadline, and they are still trying to land on a final deal. All of this is happening while families across the state are already feeling how expensive everything has gotten, and schools are dealing with those same pressures. The cost of giving our kids a strong public education has gone up, and the decisions being made right now will determine whether the budget actually reflects that or falls short of what our communities need.
Many schools and districts have been coping with the loss of federal relief money that helped them stay afloat over the last few years, while also trying to keep up with rising costs driven in part by inflation, like paying staff, transportation, and covering special education services. At the same time, the needs in our classrooms have not eased. There are more students learning English, more young people moving through the foster care system, and more than 150,000 students in temporary housing.
These are real shifts in who our schools are serving, and they call for meaningful investment. Both the Senate and Assembly have put forward changes to the Foundation Aid formula that move in that direction, including stronger weights for English Language Learners, students experiencing homelessness, and students in foster care. The Assembly goes further on those weights, and the Senate also proposes updates to how the state accounts for regional costs differences. The Governor’s proposal does not include any of these changes.
What lawmakers hear right now will shape what ends up in the final budget. New York has the resources to deliver what our communities need. Choosing to invest in our public schools is a choice to support our kids and strengthen our communities. That should mean funding our schools in a way that reflects what students and families are actually facing day to day.
Let’s make sure our public schools and our kids are part of the decisions being made right now.