Fund 100% of Foundation Aid to All Districts
2023 must be the year to complete the phase in for Foundation Aid – The state must deliver the projected $2.7 billion increase. Fully funding Foundation Aid – year 3 of the phase in the legislature passed in 2021. The State Education Department estimates a $2.7 billion increase in Foundation Aid for 2023-24 according to its November 2022 state aid projections. This $2.7 billion increase in Foundation Aid funding must be delivered.
Fifteen years after the Foundation Aid formula was implemented, the state is finally poised to fully fund it, per the legislative settlement of the Campaign for Fiscal Equity lawsuit that parents brought against the state in 1993. Currently, the spending gap between wealthy and poor districts is over $10,000 per student. Fully funding Foundation Aid will help raise the floor for low income/poor school districts and help them provide more equitable opportunities to low income and BIPOC students.
The state must also commit to fully funding expense-based and categorical aids, to ensure that schools have all the resources they need to educate students.
Ensure that Foundation Aid increase goes to the schools serving the majority of students and does not get diverted to privately run charter schools. The State must maintain the existing cap on charters in New York City.
Updating the Foundation Aid Formula
The Foundation Aid formula was created over a decade ago, and does not fully capture the current cost of educating students. It is time for New York State to conduct a new costing out study and update the formula. We urge leaders to provide the State Education Department with the resources to engage with education finance experts to evaluate and revise the Foundation Aid formula while maintaining the principles of equity. This process must be inclusive and collaborative by engaging parents, students, teachers and community members.
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