Enacted SFY 2024-25 Budget Will Include $35.9 Billion in School Aid

Speaker Carl Heastie and Education Committee Chair Michael Benedetto today announced the Enacted State Fiscal Year (SFY) 2024-25 Budget will provide $35.9 billion in funding to the General Support for Public Schools (GSPS), which will include $24.9 billion in Foundation Aid, a $934.5 million increase over the 2023-24 School Year (SY).

“This year my colleagues and I fought hard to ensure our schools still have access to the resources they need to provide our children a world-class education,” said Speaker Heastie. “This budget reflects our commitment to our public schools and the work they do to prepare students for the world.”

“I’m proud of the work we did this year to reinstate the hold harmless provision and provide our public schools with the funding required to modernize the classroom and provide students a high-quality education,” said Assemblymember Benedetto. “As a former educator, I understand the crucial aspect of funding for classroom materials and our budget reflects our effort to prioritize New York’s students.”

SFY 2024-25 will reinstate the “Hold Harmless” provision within Foundation Aid, which keeps school districts from receiving a cut in Foundation Aid. The enacted budget also will increase the inflation factor used to calculate Foundation Aid to 2.8 percent and approves the unfreezing of Reorganization Incentive Operating Aid to provide increased aid to schools seeking reorganization.

The budget also will include $2 million for a Foundation Aid study by the State University of New York (SUNY) Rockefeller Institute of Government, in consultation with state agencies and stakeholders.

The Assembly’s budget will also include:

• An additional $1.5 million in funding for Schools for the Blind and Deaf (4201 schools), for a total of $113.4 million;
• $14.3 million to restore funding for Teacher Resource and Computer Training Centers;
• $10 million for the New York State Museum;
• $5 million increase in the Transportation After 4 pm funding cap, for a total of $29.9 million;
• $1 million for the State School Immunization Program;
• $750,000 for State-Appointed Monitors;
• $500,000 for the State Education Department (SED) to provide recommended updates and changes to Holocaust curriculum; and
• $400,000 for Financial Literacy Curriculum.

Eight years ago, New York became the first state in the nation to fund the My Brother's Keeper initiative. The initiative focuses on family and community engagement, professional development, the expansion and development of exemplary school practices and models, and addresses issues related to restorative justice and racial disparities in education. The SFY 2024-25 Budget will include $28 million in ongoing funding for the My Brother’s Keeper Programs, for a total of $172 million in funding since the program’s creation.

The budget is also set to make critical investments Adult Career and Continuing Education Services by providing:

• $750,000 for Independent Living Centers, for a total of $16.8 million; and
• $500,000 for Adult Literacy Education, for a total of $9.8 million.

In addition, the SFY 2024-25 budget will establishe a New York State Zero-Emission School Bus Resource Center within the New York State Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) to provide information for school districts regarding the transition to zero-emission school buses.

Higher Education Planning

The SFY 2024-25 budget will require every school district to ensure verification that each high school senior’s parent or guardian has completed a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) application, Jose Peralta New York State DREAM Act application, or waiver form developed by the State Education Department showing that a student knows what the FAFSA is and is choosing not to file an application. A student would not be penalized or punished if the student’s parent or guardian does not fulfill the requirements.

Mayoral Control Proposal

The budget will also extends mayoral control of the New York City School District for two years, until June 30, 2026. Further, the budget will increase the Panel for Education Policy (PEP) from 23 members to 24 members to include one independent voting member, who will serve as chair of the PEP for a one year term. The mayor will be required to select this member from a pool of three nominees: one by the speaker of the Assembly, one by the temporary president of the Senate, and one by the chancellor of the Board of Regents.

Prekindergarten Reading Strategies

The SFY 2024-25 budget would also require the commissioner of Education to provide and update instructional best practices for the teaching of reading instruction for students in prekindergarten through grade three by January 1, 2025. By September 1, 2025, school districts must verify to the commissioner that their reading curriculum and instructional strategies align with all the elements of such best practices.