WPCNR SCHOOL DAYS. From NY State Education Department. October 24, 2006  UPDATED 10/25/06 3:30 P.M. EDT: The Board of Regents today recommended a $1.48 billion increase in State Aid to schools for 2007-2008. Most of this funding would go to school districts educating the State’s neediest children.

According to John Burman, spokesperson for the State Education Department, the Foundation Formula proposed by the Regents would not penalize a district such as White Plains which spends more money per pupil.  Burman reports to WPCNR that the proposal includes a guaranteed increase of 2% in Foundation Aid for all school districts to help them meet rising costs.

             The Regents propose an increase in State Aid to schools that is designed to link funding to the cost of a successful education. Like last year’s proposal, the proposal this year features a simple Foundation Formula that would replace 31 separate aid categories. The Formula:

                                                              State Aid= 

                                   [Foundation Cost X Pupil Need

                                                    X Regional Cost Index] 

                                                   - Expected Local Share.

- –                                                

            This $1.48 billion increase is based on data available now. However, new information will become available after November 15, and this amount will likely change.  Historically, four aids in particular have experienced significant increases as schools report their expenditures: Building, Transportation, Public Excess Cost (special education) and BOCES aids.  As a result, the Regents eventual recommendation may vary by as much as $200 million. An update will be available in December.   

    “Student achievement has been improving, but we have far to go,” Regents Chancellor Robert M. Bennett said. “To accelerate this progress, we must invest the funds our neediest children deserve so they can all get a good education. The Regents are urging full access to pre-kindergarten for all four year olds. Our total State Aid proposal offers a fair and sustainable solution to one of New York’s most critical issues.”

 “New York and the nation face intense competition from other countries that are moving quickly to raise the educational level of all their children,” State Education Commissioner Richard Mills said. “We need an integrated approach, from pre-kindergarten through college graduation, and fixing State Aid is a key part of that. Now is the time to reform the State Aid system to ensure that all children get an equal opportunity to reach high standards.”

Foundation Cost: This is the cost of educating the average student to the learning standards, based on a study of successful school districts, using instructional costs and controlling for regional cost differences and the number of needy pupils.  

Pupil Need: High need students require more help, so the Regents proposed a weighting that increases State assistance for them.    

            Regional Cost Index: Additional funds would go to schools in areas where wages and the cost of living are higher.

            Expected Local Contribution:  Funding is a State and local partnership. The expected local contribution is based on the district tax base multiplied by the expected local tax rate. The district tax base is the total property value of the district. The expected local tax rate is based on local ability to pay, as measured by the district property value and income per child. Lower income communities would be expected to contribute less. Higher income communities would be expected to contribute more. However, the expected local contribution is not mandatory.  

Will Not Affect Construction, Transporation, Books, ESOL, Special Ed, Pre-K, BOCES

            The Foundation Formula includes most of the State funding of schools, but not all. Important categorical aids that are still kept separate include aid for school construction, transportation, textbooks, limited English proficient students, special education students, universal pre-K and BOCES.  The Regents proposal includes a guaranteed increase of two percent in Foundation Aid for all school districts to help them meet rising costs. 

            The Regents propose an increase of $1.48 billion for 2007-2008 from all State Aid. Of that, 51.4 percent would go to New York City.

Special Ed

             The Regents propose other changes in State Aid: the most significant of these relate to special education and early childhood education.  With regard to special education, the Regents recommend a simplification of the financing formula.  They propose that funding be generated from the same foundation formula for each school district, although an additional weight will be applied to reflect the greater cost of educating children with special needs. 

            Although the special education formula builds upon the foundation amount approach, the general and special education funding streams will remain separate.  The Regents proposal guarantees all school districts against loss on a per pupil basis in the move to the new special education funding formula. The Regents further recommend that the city school districts of Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, and Yonkers be given authority to contract with BOCES for educational services such as arts and cultural programs and career and technical education.  

PRe-K Statewide

In terms of State Aid for pre-kindergarten education, the Regents propose an increase of $108 million to provide full access to high quality education for all four-year-olds.  Funding for the four-year old pre-K student population will not be consolidated in the foundation amount, but will remain a separately funded program. The Regents propose planning grants for school districts that do not operate full-day kindergarten programs, with funding to phase-in full-day kindergarten programs over the subsequent three years. 

White Plains City Schools Implemented Pre-K across the district three years ago, anticipating this policy.