The question of how to fund schools is a major political battle in New York state.

New York spends more per pupil than any other state, and education funding makes up nearly a . Yet student outcomes are . This year, the state is examining a key piece of how schools receive money: Foundation Aid.

What is Foundation Aid?

Foundation Aid is the formula New York uses to determine how to distribute the majority of state education funding across more than 700 school districts each year.

The formula, which the state has used since the , draws from about a dozen data points 鈥� including regional salaries, census poverty rates, and student attendance, as well as expected district-levied property taxes.

However, the formula is outdated and the state is currently reevaluating it.

How was the formula developed?

In 1993, the Campaign for Fiscal Equity filed a lawsuit arguing that New York state was not adequately funding New York City schools, thereby denying children a sound, basic education 鈥� a right enshrined in the state constitution.

The case wound its way through state courts for 13 years until the New York State Court of Appeals sided with the plaintiffs in 2006. That prompted lawmakers to combine prior funding formulas into one more equitable distribution: Foundation Aid.

The formula now accounts for how about of state aid is distributed.

What are the problems with Foundation Aid?

During the 2007鈥�08 and 2008鈥�09 school years, the state met its Foundation Aid obligations 鈥� until the recession hit.

Despite legal mandates, Foundation Aid was fully funded for the first time during the 2024-25 school year 鈥� meaning that many schools previously didn鈥檛 receive the full amounts determined by the formula. Economic downturns like the Great Recession and the Covid-19 pandemic put additional strains on the state budget, leading to cuts in education.

More than one governor has criticized the formula. , former Governor Andrew Cuomo lost a battle to change it, and in 2019 he called Foundation Aid

Governor Kathy Hochul has taken aim at the formula鈥檚 鈥� which prevents a district from receiving less funding than it did the prior year, even if enrollment declines. Hochul that 鈥渋t just doesn鈥檛 make sense to keep paying for empty seats in classrooms.鈥�

About half of all school districts, particularly those in rural areas, have seen enrollment declines. Those districts argue that they need to maintain funding levels because the cost to educate a child has increased significantly since the formula was first implemented. Hochul tried to eliminate the provision during the 2024 budget negotiations, but the legislature rejected her proposal.

do agree on one point: Foundation Aid is outdated. For example, it uses census poverty data from the year 2000 and outdated numbers for regional costs.

What鈥檚 happening this year?

During the last budget cycle, Hochul gave $2 million to the to conduct a comprehensive study of the current formula and make recommendations to update it.

Over the summer of 2024, the Rockefeller Institute held with stakeholders around the state to give members of the public the opportunity to weigh in. Ultimately, the state鈥檚 goal is to update the formula in a way that distributes funds equitably and ensures the state is meeting the needs of today鈥檚 students.

This was originally published on , a nonprofit news publication investigating power in New York. .

Teachers, administrators and child advocates say they鈥檙e impressed with Gov. Kathy Hochul鈥檚 proposal to improve education by shoring up the employee pipeline and releasing in additional aid to schools, but they鈥檙e unsure if her approach will bring lasting change.

In , delivered Jan. 5 amid a surge in the ongoing pandemic, Hochul shared her plan to address a broad range of issues, from public safety to affordable housing. 

She also stressed the importance of educational opportunities for adults and safe, open schools for children, saying, 鈥淭he role of a teacher is irreplaceable in a child鈥檚 life and as the past two years have hammered home, they鈥檙e irreplaceable in a parent鈥檚 life, too.鈥� 

Hochul, sworn in as the state鈥檚 first female governor in August after Andrew Cuomo left the post in disgrace, is running for a full term. Former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Tuesday , while another in the June Democratic primary, New York Attorney General Letitia James, dropped out last month. The , also released Tuesday, now show Hochul leading by more than 30 points her remaining Democratic rivals, New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams and Long Island state Rep. Tom Suozzi.

While her political fate has yet to be determined, educators and advocates say they鈥檙e witnessing a shift in tone from Cuomo to a leader who has a more cordial relationship with city and state power players. But it鈥檚 unclear how or when her vision for public schools might become reality. More will become known when Hochul Tuesday.

Randi Levine, policy director for Advocates for Children of New York, which works to improve education for low-income students, said Hochul鈥檚 priorities are in line with her own, especially as it relates to added funding. But she鈥檇 like to know more.

鈥淎s is the case with a lot of these proposals, we are eager to see the details,鈥� she said.

to attract more teachers and school workers 鈥� this includes waiving the income cap for some retirees and expanding alternative certification programs 鈥� and encourage paraprofessionals to boost their skills, among myriad other initiatives.

Her plan was informed by the state鈥檚 which is expected to worsen: New York needs approximately over the next 10 years to make up for the loss, according to the state teachers union.

Hochul earlier announced the state would phase-in full funding of Foundation Aid to New York school districts 鈥� the money comes after a decades-long legal battle 鈥� by the 2023-24 academic year. Foundation Aid takes into account school district wealth and student needs in crafting a more equitable funding distribution and will add to school coffers through the next three years.

Darlene Cameron is principal at The STAR Academy PS-63, a small, pre-K through fifth grade campus in Manhattan鈥檚 East Village where 75 percent of students qualify for free and reduced-price lunch, a key indicator of poverty. Her students, like many others throughout the state and nation, have suffered mightily during the pandemic. 

Schools across the country continue to face closure as the Omicron variant surges, further disrupting learning.

Cameron supports the strengthening of the education workforce but isn鈥檛 sure how 鈥� and when 鈥� the results will be seen on her campus, which is in desperate need of literacy experts to help students with comprehension, dyslexia and trouble with writing.

鈥淩ight now, all schools are supposed to have one literacy coach for kindergarten, first and second grade,鈥� she said. 鈥淢ine is on extended health leave. We are in mid-January and I鈥檝e had no literacy support all year long yet my superintendent expects me to have students make two years鈥� worth of progress in one year.鈥�

Sharon Collins, a math teacher at New Heights Academy Charter School in Harlem, said she, too, would like to see additional funding for more staff, including mental health workers, another key part of Hochul鈥檚 plan. The governor proposed state-provided mental health grants to schools and matching funds for those that make good on using federal dollars for this same purpose.

鈥淪chools have never had enough counselors and now we have students who are really in need and in crisis, dealing with the loss of family members and with being out of school for such a long time,鈥� said Collins, a member of Math for America, a nonprofit that supports New York City鈥檚 strongest math and science teachers.

The Foundation Aid comes at the same time New York state is receiving  in federal COVID relief monies meant to support summer and afterschool programming, the hiring of added staff, upgrades to ventilation and professional development among other expenditures. 

But even as the state is flush with cash, educators worry schools won鈥檛 get what they need. 

Jodi Friedman, assistant principal at Cameron鈥檚 campus, is concerned about teacher retention, adding Hochul might consider improving working conditions and compensation if she aims to keep existing employees.

Teachers, Friedman said, are exhausted, overworked and underappreciated, burned out from a pandemic which has forced many to work longer hours as they struggle with distance learning demands and chronic absenteeism among their students 鈥� all while trying to maintain their own health. 

鈥淭his idea of giving everything of yourself to help others can鈥檛 continue,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not sustainable.鈥�

And while the pandemic has been a recent challenge, schools have, for years, taken on problems that should be addressed elsewhere, she said: What schools really need are robust social services to help families off campus.

鈥淚f schools are the only way children get food, health care or heat, that is a problem,鈥� Friedman said. 鈥淭eachers aren鈥檛 just teaching, but taking on 鈥� all of the ills of society.鈥�

Jasmine Gripper, executive director of Alliance for Quality Education, a statewide labor-backed advocacy group, said for all Hochul鈥檚 talk of recruiting more staff, the governor overlooked a key element. 

鈥淥ne of the things missing was an intention on diversity,鈥� Gripper said, adding New York has done a poor job of recruiting and retaining teachers of color, a problem that could be remedied through 鈥済row-your-own鈥� initiatives, stronger relationships with Historically Black Colleges and Universities and in the certification process.

Still, she was heartened by the governor鈥檚 overall commitment to the state鈥檚 school system: Her organization was key in pushing for the release of Foundation Aid.

鈥淭he state is continuing to maintain its promise,鈥� she said. 鈥淪o that is really encouraging.鈥�