The Rockefeller Institute of Government hosted the last of five public hearings on New York’s Foundation Aid formula for funding education this week.
Education officials gathered Wednesday at Guilderland High School to air their views before a listening panel on revamping the way New York state distributes funding to school districts.
Foundation Aid was first enacted in 2007; the formula decides how the state distributes aid to districts based on a number of factors. New York Governor Kathy Hochul proposed changing it this year before it was restored by state lawmakers during budget talks.
United Federation of Teachers president Michael Mulgrew testified the current formula is outdated and not fiscally sustainable.
“The schools have become much more of the social safety network for each community. That was never the intent," said Mulgrew. "When I was growing up, the school was there to teach you your academics so you can move forward and develop you as a person. It was not never intended to be the social safety network that [it] has now become everywhere. And this is what we are facing. There is a fear that this process is about figuring out a way to cut school funding. Let's just put this out there. Okay, we do a lot of advocacy. We work with our members to make sure that they understand that they're not alone, that they're facing these challenges, we are all doing this together. But this Foundation Aid formula change needs to be done, and I don't think that's in dispute anymore by anyone. “
Bob Lowry spoke on behalf of the New York state Council for School Superintendents, imploring that state aid formulas should treat similar districts similarly.
“It is true that most of our districts have long experienced enrollment declines, but virtually all are now doing more than ever before to help students and families with problems beyond academics," said Lowry. "That's been the number one theme when we asked superintendents what is most important for New Yorkers to understand about their public schools today. The actual cost of foundation aid, save harmless, range small, accounting for just 1% of total school aid and less than point 3% of total state operating funds disbursements. But the impact of cuts can be catastrophic for affected districts. Offsetting the proposed cuts this year would have required local tax increases averaging 5.1% on top of whatever was needed to meet cost increases. Action is needed on behalf of students attending districts which have experienced steep enrollment declines to ensure that they have access to opportunities we would want for our own children, but abrupt, drastic cuts in aid for their schools can only diminish their prospects.”
Jennifer Pyle, Executive Director at Conference of Big 5 School Districts, said there is a need to overhaul the "Pupil Needs Index."
“The current Foundation Aid formula targets state aid to high need school districts via the calculation of the Pupil Needs Index," Pyle said. "The community poverty data embedded, is again captured from the 2000 census. It's extremely outdated and fails to accurately account for shifts in population. The state must construct a new formula that's not only reflective of current community demographics, but most importantly, one that will continue to utilize impact, excuse me, inputs that are dynamic in nature and adjust to our ever changing population shifts. Each of the Big Five, as I'm sure you're well aware, are heavily reliant on state funds. The large city school districts have no ability to raise local revenues given their fiscal dependency. And our districts, Albany, Mount Vernon and Utica, are, of course, limited by the tax cap imposed upon them.”
Now that the hearings have concluded, the Rockefeller Institute will prepare an evaluation of the Foundation Aid formula.
EdTrust-New York Executive Director Arlen Benjamin-Gomez testified in New York City.
“They definitely seem receptive to understanding what needs to be updated in the formula, again, the politics of budget and money and education is not always receptive to the idea that it actually costs. We have to invest in education in order to see the outcomes we want,” said Benjamin-Gomez.
New York State United Teachers President Melinda Person tells WAMC that in the end, the students are paramount. "Some of the initial conversation about this study was really around, how do we fund the formula? The state constitution says that we will provide a sound basic education for all children in the state of New York. It does not say that we will provide it if the state can afford it," Person said.
The Institute's final report is due for presentation to the Senate, Assembly and Governor Hochul in December.
