ELC Calls for Comprehensive Review of New York’s Foundation Aid Formula

Education Law Center is calling on the State of New York to undertake a rigorous review of its school funding formula, which is significantly outdated and, if not updated in meaningful ways, will leave a large number of school districts throughout the state without the funding and resources needed to provide a constitutionally adequate education to their students.

In comments recently submitted to the Rockefeller Institute of the State University of New York, ELC asserted that “[a] comprehensive re-assessment of the Foundation Aid Formula is urgently needed, one that involves substantial input from school finance experts and communities statewide.”

In 2007, in response to New York’s landmark school funding case, CFE v. State, New York enacted the Foundation Aid Formula, a new, progressive school finance system designed to provide sufficient resources so that students across the state would be guaranteed their right to a constitutionally “sound basic education.” The State committed to fully funding the formula in four years; however, it reneged on that promise in 2009. The formula was not fully funded until the 2023-24 school year. 

In the interim, the educational landscape in New York changed dramatically. Since 2007, academic standards have evolved, and student need and the cost of education has increased across the state. There have also been many developments on how best to deliver an adequate education, particularly for students with specific needs such as students from low-income families, multilingual learners, and students with disabilities. In addition, the field of school finance has developed better and more accurate methods for calculating the “base cost” or the amount of per-pupil funding that is needed for every student, as well as the “weights” that provide additional funding for students meeting certain criteria as a percentage of the base cost. The Foundation Aid Formula has not kept pace with these changes and therefore no longer accurately accounts for the true cost of education.

For over two years, ELC, together with advocates and professional organizations statewide, has urged the State to fund a comprehensive review of the Foundation Aid Formula, led by the New York State Education Department, that seeks meaningful input from both school finance experts and communities across the state. ELC also co-authored with the Alliance for Quality Education (AQE) a white paper, Improving the Foundation Aid Formula in New York State, which set forth specific recommendations for such a comprehensive review.

Instead, in last year’s budget, the Legislature acceded to Governor Hochul’s suggestion to engage Rockefeller Institute to conduct a study, not to determine the cost of educational adequacy, but rather simply to ensure that any new formula “be fiscally sustainable for the state, local taxpayers and school districts.”

The Rockefeller Institute held five hearings across the state and accepted written comments. In addition to submitting comments, AQE and ELC provided a hearing toolkit and briefings for parents and community members around the state.

In the comments submitted, ELC explained the elements of a fair funding formula and detailed the components of New York’s Foundation Aid Formula that require serious review, including recalculating the formula’s base cost, determining a more accurate measure of poverty, and revisiting weights for multilingual learners and students with disabilities.

The Rockefeller Institute will present its report to the Governor, the Temporary President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the Assembly in early December 2024. ELC will continue to work with statewide allies to ensure that that a thorough review of the Foundation Aid Formula is undertaken, and that any reform of the formula safeguards the constitutional rights of all students in New York. 

Related Stories:

NEW YORK STATE BUDGET SHORTCHANGES PUBLIC SCHOOLS, MAKES A MOCKERY OF FOUNDATION AID STUDY

REPORT DETAILS CHANGES TO MAKE NY’S SCHOOL FUNDING FORMULA MORE EQUITABLE

Press Contact:
Sharon Krengel
Director of Policy, Strategic Partnerships and Communications
skrengel@edlawcenter.org
973-624-1815, x240