Today, a broad coalition of stakeholders united in the following letter to express opposition to the administration's proposed budget, which would underfund public schools by hundreds of millions of dollars.
We, the undersigned organizations, care deeply about public education and the educational opportunities and resources available to students in our communities. We came together to voice our concerns about a troubling proposal in the executive budget that would change the way schools in our state are funded.
The executive budget proposes ending the current use of the Consumer Price Index (CPI) of 3.8% and instead starting using a 10-year moving average of 2.4%. This would starve the Foundation Aid System, which is the primary driver of both our state's school aid and fair distribution of state aid funds.
Coupled with the deep cuts proposed by changes to the “Save Harmless” provision that would affect the state's 337 school districts, half of which are high-needs districts, programs such as mental health, nutrition, and staffing. This would lead to a compounding loss of services. To support students for years to come.
As proposed, these changes would reduce Foundation aid by $419 million. They will deprive our schools of the resources they need to provide our students with the quality education they deserve. This decision jeopardizes the future of our community by not only breaking the promise we made to our children and educators, but also undermining the foundations of a strong and equitable education system.
This shortfall will affect all districts, disproportionately impacting districts already facing hardship. Without the promised funding, schools could be forced to make cuts that could result in larger class sizes, fewer and smaller educational programs, and a decline in the quality of education children receive. This is not just a budget issue. It's a question of our priorities and values as a nation.
We know New York State students deserve a better education, and the Legislature wants a better education for the communities they serve and the state as a whole.
I urge you to stand up for your students and schools by doing all you can to properly fund our public schools. Our children deserve a future built on the promise of a quality education.
