“The State Legislature worked to fully fund our pub- lic schools, and in 2023 we
State Senator Pete Harckham, above
finally achieved this goal. De- creasing those investments is a step backwards and an in- sult to students, educators and taxpayers.”
By Dan Murphy
Westchester’s Assembly members and State Senators are not happy with Governor Hochul’s proposed budget for fiscal year 2025 which starts on April 1, and specifically Hochul’s proposal to cut state aid for education to several Westchester school districts.
While Hochul’s budget plan increases spending overall by 4.3% to $233 Billion, and has proposed a 2.4% increase in school aid overall, her budget plan decreases education aid and foundation aid to almost every Westchester school district. even as the Executive’s Proposed FY2024-2025 State Budget grew to $233 billion, a 4.3% increase from last year’s Adopted FY2023-2024 State Budget.
State Senator Pete Harckham “Denounced” Hochul’s proposal. “Educating our students is the key to New York’s economic future and requires that we make these important investments in our schools, year after year,” said Harckham.
“The State Legislature worked to fully fund our public schools, and in 2023 we finally achieved this goal. Decreasing those investments is a step backwards and an insult to students, educators and taxpayers.”
Overall, six school districts in SD40—Bedford, Katonah-Lewisboro, Croton-Harmon, Chappaqua, North Salem and Yorktown—will receive less school aid in the FY2024-2025 State Budget that Hochul has proposed than from last year’s budget.
Harckham added, “We will fight to restore full funding to all school districts statewide. The Covid-19 pandemic set many of our students back in their learning; now is not the time to have them face state aid cuts that would impact staffing and programming.”
Additionally, nine out of the 19 school districts in SD40 face decreases in Foundation Aid in Hochul’s proposed FY2024-2025 budget. The biggest loser from SD40 in Hochul’s proposed budget is the Bedford Central School District, which enrolls 3,500 students; it would lose 12% of its state aid.
“Our investments in the public schools are a promise to our students that we will help them achieve their goals and prepare them for a lifetime of learning,”said Harckham. “This year, school districts in New York should not receive less state funding while other districts nearby are seeing increases. That unfair budget
modelling is a thing of the past.”
State Senator and Senate Education Chair Shelly Mayer said, “After reviewing the details of the Executive Budget Proposal and the school aid runs, it is clear to me that the Governor’s proposal for school aid falls far short of what our students, teachers, and school communities need right now.
“Our school districts are facing enormous challenges in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Districts are tasked with helping students recover from disrupted learning, addressing the significant mental health challenges students face, and in many districts, supporting new migrant students. Having just recently traveled throughout New York State and witnessed incredible work by our schools to meet these needs, I know personally how schools are rising to the challenge of this moment. Our schools need continued investment and support from the state to meet the complex needs of students and school communities, not an austerity budget that cuts their funding.
“The Governor’s proposal to forgo holding districts harmless reverses decades of practice in the state. Under her proposal, hundreds of districts stand to receive less Foundation Aid than they did last year, including many high need districts in urban, suburban, and rural areas. Even districts slated to receive an increase will receive less of an increase per pupil than the rate of inflation over the last year. At a time when districts face rising costs, the expiration of federal COVID relief funds, and increased responsibilities, these changes are untenable.
“While New York State may face financial challenges, we are not in a recession. We cannot look to cut corners with education funding –– our schools and communities deserve better. As chair of the Senate Education Committee, I will fight on behalf of our students and parents, teachers and administrators, to ensure they receive the funding they deserve. I look forward to working with my colleagues and the Governor to reverse these changes and to fund our schools so they can meet the challenges they face.”
Assemblywoman Dana Levenberg called Hochul’s education budget proposal disappointing. “The specifics of Governor Hochul’s proposal for next year’s education funding, including the school aid runs released Wednesday, are very disappointing. While it might not be reasonable to expect increases as large as those of the past two years, in which the State made up for years of disinvestment, many districts would actually see cuts in their aid, in relative and absolute terms, under this proposal. It is not fair to our school districts, or the children they serve, to take away the certainty of ‘hold harmless’ without warning. This proposal would force school districts to choose between making cuts or raising taxes. At a time when working- and middle-class families are already struggling, an education proposal that could lead to property tax increases is ill-advised and regressive.
“If we are looking to right-size education aid, ensuring that money goes where it is most needed, we should not start by abruptly removing a principle that school districts have relied upon for decades. We should instead take this opportunity to review the Foundation Aid formula to make sure it is up to the task of serving our school children. There are several bills that propose to do this, including A4919, of which I am a co-sponsor. In the coming weeks, I look forward to working with my colleagues to ensure that we do not reverse the progress we have made toward fully funding our schools,” said Levenberg.
More details on what each school district will lose in State Aid, and what that will cost the taxpayers of each district, in the weeks to come.
