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New York Gov. Kathy Hochul wants to revamp the way the state鈥檚 schools teach math.

Hochul announced the plan in her annual State of the State address on Tuesday, along with several child care and education initiatives she has previewed over the past week. The governor鈥檚 broader agenda includes funding a ; expanding pre-K and child care vouchers statewide; growing a ; bolstering the state鈥檚 teacher training pipeline; and building on free community college for adults who want to train for high-demand careers.

The governor鈥檚 office released few details about the plan to overhaul math, but in its outlining Hochul鈥檚 priorities for the year, state officials compared it to existing efforts to revamp literacy instruction. The governor has worked with teachers and school districts to adopt evidence-based 鈥渟cience of reading鈥� practices that focus on phonics and explicit reading instruction, state officials wrote.

Similarly, Hochul said in her Tuesday speech that it is time to get 鈥渂ack to basics鈥� in math. 鈥淢y hope is for New York students to be the most academically prepared in the country,鈥� Hochul said.

To that end, she will introduce legislation to require the State Education Department to provide school districts with best practices for teaching math and guidance on selecting math curriculums that align with state standards.

The state will also require the State University of New York and the City University of New York to offer extra training in evidence-based math instruction to teachers, especially in New York鈥檚 districts with the lowest math performance.

鈥淲ith these proposals, New York parents can rest assured that there is no better place for their children to learn and thrive than here in our state,鈥� Hochul said.

New York City is already several years into an experiment in mandating and standardizing school curriculums in the name of evidence-based teaching practices. Well before the state rolled out its curriculum recommendations, former Mayor Eric Adams introduced a teaching overhaul called NYC Reads, which required elementary schools to use one of three city-approved reading programs.

At the same time, under a math reform called NYC Solves, the city required high schools, and later some middle schools, to adopt a standardized curriculum for algebra.

Some educators and experts contended that it didn鈥檛 make sense to introduce a math overhaul in high school, and lacked the vocabulary or tools to follow what was being taught.

New York City鈥檚 new schools chancellor, Kamar Samuels, seems to agree.

Math reform should start with elementary schools, he 鈥淚f we don鈥檛 do math well,鈥� Samuels added, students won鈥檛 鈥渂e ready for the jobs that exist, much less the jobs that don鈥檛.鈥�

Samuels also argued for a balancing a 鈥渂ack-to-basics鈥� approach to math that emphasizes memorization and math facts with a focus on creative problem-solving. Conceptual understanding is important, Samuels said, but parents 鈥渓ook back at me and say, 鈥楳y kid is in fourth grade and doesn鈥檛 know the times tables.鈥欌��

鈥淲e think of [times tables] as an old thing, but we absolutely need to incorporate it so that our parents can believe in what we do again,鈥� Samuels said.

The jury remains out on whether New York City鈥檚 curriculum mandates have improved performance. The Adams administration they said were evidence of positive results, but education experts say it鈥檚 too soon to draw conclusions.

Chalkbeat is a nonprofit news site covering educational change in public schools.

On the surface, it seems like a simple solution: remove the distraction, and students will focus. But as someone who has spent decades in public education at the K-12 and college level, I see a far more complex issue at play.

Distraction in the classroom is not just about phones鈥攊t鈥檚 about engagement. The truth is, many students aren鈥檛 glued to their screens because they鈥檙e addicted. They鈥檙e disengaged. 

If a student finds their coursework relevant, meaningful, and motivating, they won鈥檛 be on their phone. The best teachers 鈥� the ones who truly engage their students 鈥攄on鈥檛 have phone problems in their classrooms.

One of my greatest concerns with this ban is that it applies a one-size-fits-all solution to a diverse population. Schools are not factories; every student is different, and every learning environment is unique. There are schools in New York that have embraced technology in innovative ways 鈥� using phones to enhance instruction, conduct research, and facilitate real-world learning. This policy could strip those schools of a valuable tool rather than supporting effective teaching practices.

We should be asking: What are the schools that don鈥檛 struggle with phone distractions doing right? What can we learn from their engagement strategies? Instead, we鈥檙e resorting to blanket restrictions that fail to address the root of the problem.

The idea that taking away phones will somehow fix students’ mental health struggles is both misguided and oversimplified. Mental health is about relationships, support, and the ability to feel safe and heard. Strong school communities provide students with counseling, peer support, and environments where they can openly discuss their challenges. A policy that removes phones without addressing these fundamental issues is unlikely to yield the results its proponents hope for.

In fact, when I asked students in my college classrooms what they would say to Gov. Hochul or other leaders about this policy, their top concern was safety. The announcement came shortly after the Nashville school shooting, and they told me: 鈥淯ntil schools are truly safe, we need our phones.鈥�

For many students, phones aren鈥檛 just a social tool; they鈥檙e a lifeline in uncertain situations.

Others brought up an interesting point: Some students use their phones in class to double-check their answers before speaking up. In classrooms where participation can feel intimidating, a phone can be a confidence booster 鈥� allowing students to verify information before contributing to discussions.

And then, of course, there鈥檚 the practical reality that students will always find a way around bans. My students laughed when I brought up the idea of strict enforcement and shared all the creative ways they already sneak phones into classrooms. Simply banning devices won鈥檛 eliminate the behavior 鈥� it will just push it underground.

The bottom line is this: Students in highly engaging classrooms aren鈥檛 on their phones. They are immersed in project-based learning, tackling real-world problems, conducting research, and developing solutions. They are in environments where they feel seen, where their voices matter, and where their education is relevant to their lives.

We need to focus on these types of classrooms. Let鈥檚 study what the most effective teachers are doing and bring those practices into more schools. Let鈥檚 invest in instructional design that excites students rather than assuming that taking away a device will force engagement.

A cellphone ban is an easy policy to announce, but a much harder one to enforce. And more importantly, it doesn鈥檛 solve the real issue. If we want students off their phones, we need to give them a reason to put them down鈥攏ot by force, but by making their education something they want to engage in.

Pushing back against Gov. Kathy Hochul鈥檚 from 鈥渂ell-to-bell鈥� in schools, New York lawmakers want to give districts more flexibility in setting their policies 鈥� and guarantee that students will not face suspensions due to cellphone violations.

The proposed changes came Tuesday as Senate Democrats unveiled their response to Gov. Kathy Hochul鈥檚 , which would send $37.4 billion to schools across the state 鈥� a nearly $1.7 billion increase from the prior year鈥檚 budget. The governor鈥檚 budget proposal includes a $13.5 million plan to help school districts implement smartphone bans, amid growing concerns over their impact on student learning and mental health.

Under the governor鈥檚 proposal, students would be required to disconnect from their devices from 鈥渂ell to bell,鈥� including during classes, lunch, and in the hallways. School districts would have discretion over how to ensure compliance, but all would be required to identify at least one method through which students can store their devices during the school day.

However, lawmakers in the state Senate are seeking changes to the proposed legislation that would give districts leeway to allow students to use their devices 鈥渄uring non-instruction time.鈥� Lawmakers also want districts to be required to consult local representatives and families, as well as be prohibited from suspending students over violations of the cellphone policy.

State Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins said lawmakers agreed with Hochul that 鈥済etting cellphones out of the hands of our children is a benefit to everyone.鈥�

鈥淲e鈥檝e heard from superintendents who want a little bit of flexibility, so we have injected that into the conversation,鈥� Stewart-Cousins added during a Tuesday press conference. 鈥淏ut there is no doubt that we know that students will be better off if their phones are not with them and they鈥檙e able to concentrate on their lessons.鈥�

The proposed changes to Hochul鈥檚 cellphone policy came as part of the Senate鈥檚 鈥� its rebuttal to the governor鈥檚 executive budget. (The state did not address the issue).

Senate lawmakers also proposed changes to that would see additional dollars sent to schools across the state 鈥� up $680 million from Hochul鈥檚 Foundation Aid proposal. Those changes would drive additional money to city schools, with lawmakers proposing an update to how the formula accounts for regional costs in the Hudson Valley and New York City.

Despite concerns from the Senate, Hochul said Tuesday she remained committed to pushing for a 鈥渂ell-to-bell鈥� cellphone restriction.

鈥淚鈥檝e not had time to digest every part of what the one-houses show, but I鈥檓 committed to fighting for bell-to-bell,鈥� she said. 鈥淭his is what the experts say, this is what the parents want, this is what the teachers want. I mean, our teachers are saying鈥� if a student has it banned during a class, then they have it during recess, and then they come back, the next teacher has to be the enforcer.鈥�

In New York City, principals currently can set their own cellphone policies during school hours. Among those with restrictions in place, some schools collect devices at the start of the day, while others store them in cubbies or locking pouches. And though the city鈥檚 Education Department seemed poised to implement a systemwide policy last year, it stalled after intervention by Mayor Eric Adams.

When schools Chancellor Melissa Aviles-Ramos testified at a budget hearing in Albany earlier this year, she urged lawmakers to allocate more funding to implement a statewide school cellphone ban, arguing $13.5 million was insufficient to cover statewide costs.

鈥淩oughly 800 of our schools have already signed up to do this work,鈥� she told lawmakers in January. 鈥淲hat we don鈥檛 want to tell them is, 鈥楥ontinue to self-fund while we pay for other schools to get on the bus.鈥欌��

Chalkbeat is a nonprofit news site covering educational change in public schools.

It鈥檚 official: After months of voicing concerns about the effects of cellphones on student mental health and learning, Gov. Kathy Hochul proposed a $13.5 million plan to help districts implement a ban.

Hochul said her plan would help create a 鈥渄istraction-free鈥� learning environment during the school day. The money aims to help cover associated costs that districts might incur, such as paying for digital pouches that lock devices or additional staff to collect phones each day. Covering the potential costs was one of the issues that forced New York City to put the brakes on its own ban, and it remains to be seen how far the governor鈥檚 proposed allocation will go.

On Tuesday, Hochul included the proposal in her $252 billion state 2026 budget, which would send $37.4 billion to schools across the state 鈥� , or 4.7%, from the prior year鈥檚 budget. It builds on focused on affordability outlined by Hochul during her State of the State address last week.

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The governor鈥檚 budget proposal marks the start of negotiations with lawmakers over how the state should allocate its funding for the next fiscal year, which begins in April.

Under Hochul鈥檚 cellphone proposal, students would be required to disconnect from devices from 鈥渂ell to bell,鈥� including during class time, lunch, and in the hallways. The policy would go into effect at the start of the next school year, with districts able to decide the specifics of how they would store phones and ensure compliance, according to Hochul鈥檚 office.

鈥淥ur kids will finally be free from the endless disruptions of social media and all the mental health pressures that come from it,鈥� she said during her speech at the State Capitol.

Students with disabilities, as well as others who rely on digital devices for medical reasons or translation purposes, would be allowed exemptions from the policy.

In New York City, the Education Department appeared poised to implement on student cellphone use in schools last summer but later after intervention by Mayor Eric Adams.

Jenna Lyle, a spokesperson for the Education Department, said Tuesday that the department was 鈥渓ooking forward to partnering with the Governor鈥� on the issue.

鈥淭he feedback we have heard from our school communities has been clear: access to cell phones in the classroom distracts from learning, divides attention, and significantly impacts our students鈥� mental health,鈥� she said in a statement. 鈥淔ollowing our engagement with parent leadership groups last spring, in partnership with the Health Department, we鈥檝e been working on an evaluation to better understand both how schools are implementing policies to restrict cell phones, and lessons learned from those implementations.鈥�

Currently, the city鈥檚 schools can over whether and how to restrict student cellphone use. At the end of last school year, about 350 schools already had bans in place, with an additional 500 planning to implement them this year, city officials previously said. Some schools provide students with locking Yondr pouches, while others collect phones or employ alternative strategies.

Those pouches, though, can cost schools $30 per student in the first year, according to the company. Yondr CEO Graham Dugoni noted the company offered 鈥渧olume discounts鈥� in a statement and praised Hochul鈥檚 proposed cellphone ban.

鈥淲e look forward to supporting more school communities across New York in creating successful phone-free learning environments,鈥� he said.

Adams, who has expressed some concerns about adopting a citywide policy on the issue, previously told reporters that the city would comply with any state mandate.

NYC could lose out under school funding formula proposal

Hochul鈥檚 proposed budget also called for updates to the state鈥檚 school funding formula, an issue expected to take center stage in education budget discussions this year. Known as Foundation Aid, the formula was originally created in 2007, and in some cases relies on decades-old data to determine how much funding is sent to school districts.

For years, advocates, lawmakers, and other education officials have to the formula, with some arguing it requires . But the governor鈥檚 proposed updates 鈥� which were among the suggestions put forward by the state鈥檚 Board of Regents and issued by the Rockefeller Institute 鈥� could potentially result in New York City receiving a smaller funding increase, advocates warned Tuesday.

For one change, Hochul called for replacing the 2000 Census poverty rate with the most recent Census Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, or SAIPE, data. The formula should also stop using federal free- and reduced-price lunch eligibility as a basis for measuring student need, the governor said, instead switching to broader 鈥渆conomically disadvantaged鈥� student counts.

鈥淭his will ensure that state dollars go to students who need them the most,鈥� Hochul said.

But according to the more than 300-page report issued by the Rockefeller Institute last month, switching from the 2000 Census Bureau poverty count to three-year average SAIPE data would decrease New York City鈥檚 Foundation Aid funding by a projected $392 million. (The city鈥檚 schools would still see an overall increase to Foundation Aid funding.)

Kim Sweet, executive director of the nonprofit group Advocates for Children of New York, said even when combined with the swap to using economically disadvantaged student counts, the proposed changes would result in less overall funding for New York City schools.

鈥淭he current federal poverty threshold for a family of four is just $32,150,鈥� she said in a statement. 鈥淭rying to make ends meet on $30,000 means something very different for a family in New York City than elsewhere in the State.鈥�

Hochul鈥檚 proposal did not include several changes to the formula sought by city advocates and officials, such as additional funding for , or extra dollars to implement the state鈥檚 for New York City schools.

The city鈥檚 Education Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment on how the proposed changes were expected to impact local schools.

The governor鈥檚 budget proposal would also modify the formula to send additional aid to low-wealth school districts, as well as ensure that every district receives an annual increase of at least 2%, state officials said. The proposed modifications would result in an increase to Foundation Aid of roughly $1.5 billion, or 5.9%, according to officials.

Early college funding, free school meals, and other proposals

Hochul鈥檚 other proposals included establishing a $64.6 million 鈥淐ollege in High School Opportunity Fund,鈥� allocating $340 million for universal free school meals, increases in funding for child care programs, and more.

The proposed 鈥淐ollege in High School Opportunity Fund鈥� would seek to build institutional support for the model, which provides high school students with a chance to take college courses and receive additional mentorship opportunities while earning their diplomas. Across the country and the state, the model has seen success at improving college matriculation rates and other measures of academic achievement among high school students.

As she unveiled her budget proposal, Hochul also addressed concerns about the 鈥渃loud of uncertainty鈥� posed by President Donald Trump鈥檚 administration, as the president vowed to slash federal funding during his campaign.

鈥淐hanges at the federal level will create new challenges for our state,鈥� Hochul said, warning Republicans could cut 鈥渃ritical funding streams for Medicaid, education, child care, utility assistance,鈥� and more.

鈥淭hose who are hurt need to raise their voices, and direct that anger at Washington, and push their members of Congress to fight for them,鈥� she said. 鈥淏ecause New York and other states will simply not be able to shoulder these costs on our own.鈥�

Chalkbeat is a nonprofit news site covering educational change in public schools.

New York state鈥檚 2.7 million students may soon have access to free school breakfast and lunch if a proposal by Governor Kathy Hochul makes it through this session鈥檚 budget negotiations.

Nearly children in New York were food insecure in 2022 鈥� up significantly from 鈥� and research shows that students underperform when they are hungry, the governor said during her on Tuesday.

鈥淚t pains me as a mom to think of little kids鈥� stomachs growling while they鈥檙e in school while they鈥檙e supposed to be learning,鈥� Hochul said. 鈥淚n the wealthiest country in the world, this can no longer be tolerated.鈥�

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Senator Michelle Hinchey and Assemblymember Jessica Gonz谩lez-Rojas have been pushing for a universal school meal program for the last three years, but the full proposal never made it through . The legislature did, however, provide funding to cover up to 90 percent of students, according to a representative from Gonz谩lez-Rojas鈥檚 office

New York City, Albany, Rochester and Yonkers have their own universal free school meal programs. With President-elect Donald Trump for school meals, a state program could fill in the remaining gaps.

Hochul estimated that free breakfast and lunch could save families as much as $1,600 per child per year. For the 2025-26 school year, the program is expected to cost $340 million, according to the governor鈥檚 office.

Among her other education-focused policy proposals, Hochul is also pushing to make community college free for students who enter certain fields, including teaching and nursing. The governor has also indicated that, as part of her executive budget, she will propose legislation to curb the use of smartphones at school, a move she has been considering for months.

Conspicuously absent from Hochul鈥檚 speech was any mention of , which the state uses to distribute the majority of funding to schools. During last year鈥檚 State of the State, she noted that New York had set aside for the program, fully funding it for the first time since its implementation in 2007.

Last year, the state legislature also gave $2 million to the Rockefeller Institute to conduct a comprehensive analysis of the formula and suggest ways to improve it. The think tank released its final report in December, providing a list of recommendations that the governor and legislature can choose to implement 鈥� or not 鈥� during this year鈥檚 budget negotiations.

This was originally published on .

New York鈥檚 school funding formula relies on outdated information and 鈥渞eflects an antiquated concept of what public school districts are expected to do.鈥�

That鈥檚 according to a more than 300-page report released this week by the Rockefeller Institute of Government, a public policy think tank based at SUNY. As part of between Albany lawmakers and Gov. Kathy Hochul, the state charged the organization with issuing a set of recommendations to revise Foundation Aid, the formula that sends roughly $24.9 billion to school districts 鈥� including more than $9.5 billion to New York City schools.

First implemented in 2007, Foundation Aid uses decades-old data to calculate district needs, like relying on figures from the 2000 Census to measure student poverty. Other factors that impact district spending, including the number of students living in temporary housing, don鈥檛 weigh into the current formula at all. (Foundation Aid only received from the state in recent years 鈥� following a lengthy fight from education advocates.)

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Though the institute鈥檚 recommendations are not binding, its proposals could influence debates over how to update the formula when lawmakers return to Albany in January.

State Sen. Shelley Mayer, a Democrat who chairs the senate鈥檚 education committee, stressed that 鈥渁ny determinations about how to change the formula will rest with the Legislature and Governor.鈥�

鈥淭he Rockefeller Institute鈥檚 report offers a set of recommendations 鈥撯�� some good, some concerning 鈥撯�� to begin a robust conversation about how to fix the Foundation Aid Formula,鈥� Mayer said in a Tuesday statement. 鈥淔urther, we are not limited by what is proposed in the Rockefeller Institute鈥檚 report.鈥�

Read the Rockefeller Institute鈥檚 report .

Recommendations: School funding formula needs 鈥榮ignificant change鈥�

In its report, the Rockefeller Institute called for 鈥渟ignificant change鈥� to the formula. Schools today provide far more services than when the formula was initially created, the organization noted, pointing to mental health support at school, language instruction for English learners, and a growing reliance on schools as a 鈥渃ommunity hub.鈥�

The recommendations include modifying how the formula accounts for inflation, changing and updating the data used to determine student poverty, and establishing more nuanced calculations for funding based on students with disabilities, among other changes.

One of its suggestions is already getting pushback from some lawmakers and the governor: phasing out 50% of 鈥渟ave harmless,鈥� or 鈥渉old harmless,鈥� a policy that shields districts with declining enrollment from losing funding.

During the last budget cycle, Hochul sought to effectively end that provision, but the proposal was rebuffed by state lawmakers.

In a statement on Tuesday, a spokesperson for Hochul鈥檚 office distanced the governor from the Institute鈥檚 proposal to phase out the policy.

鈥淎s we craft the upcoming Executive Budget, the Governor believes we should avoid proposals that would negatively impact school budgets, such as eliminating the hold-harmless provision of the Foundation Aid formula,鈥� the spokesperson said.

Reactions: Formula needs overhaul, not tweaks, some argue

Some observers worry that the institute鈥檚 proposals don鈥檛 go far enough to overhaul the formula, and fail to account for major issues impacting New York City schools.

Michael Rebell, executive director of the Center for Educational Equity at Columbia University鈥檚 Teachers College and the lawyer who led the landmark case against the state that paved the way for Foundation Aid, argues it isn鈥檛 enough to change aspects of the formula. He believes the state鈥檚 current approach falls to provide a 鈥渟ound basic education.鈥�

鈥淲e need a process that takes a totally new look at what students need in 2024 and 2025, not tweaking and patching up something that was written in 2006,鈥� he said. 鈥淚f you鈥檙e not looking at the overall impact of whether kids in every district are getting a fair shot 鈥� are getting the opportunity for sound basic education 鈥� what have you accomplished?鈥�

Some advocates expressed mixed feelings about the report, noting it did not address several key concerns in New York City, including schools鈥� needs to help students in temporary housing. In New York City the number of students experiencing homelessness grew to last school year.

鈥淲e are disappointed that there are no recommendations to add weights for students experiencing homelessness and students in foster care so that schools can better meet their needs; to provide per pupil funding for 3-K and pre-K students; or to help NYC meet the new class size limits required by state law,鈥� said Kim Sweet, executive director of Advocates for Children, in a statement.

State Sen. John Liu, a Queens Democrat who chairs the Senate鈥檚 New York City education committee, echoed concerns about the report鈥檚 exclusion of the city鈥檚 class size reduction mandate.

鈥淭his absolutely must be considered to provide our school kids a constitutionally required, sound, basic education,鈥� he said in a statement.

Impacts: How proposals could affect NYC schools remains unclear

It鈥檚 difficult to determine how the report鈥檚 proposals might impact students in a particular school district, because they cannot be considered in isolation from one another, Rebell said.

For example, a recommendation that the formula stop using federal free- and reduced-price lunch eligibility as a basis for measuring student poverty might result in less funding for New York City schools, he said. At the same time, a proposal to update how the formula accounts for differing costs between regions could mean more state funding for the city鈥檚 students.

And with the state under no obligation to adopt any or all of the Rockefeller Institute鈥檚 recommendations, it remains unclear what the report might mean for students.

鈥淚 can look at aspects of this formula and say, 鈥楾his would help New York City. That would hurt New York City,鈥� but that鈥檚 not the way to do it,鈥� Rebell said. 鈥淭he way to do it is: What do kids in New York City need? What do kids in these rural districts need? How can we put together a package that鈥檚 responsive to all of it?鈥�

The city鈥檚 Education Department and teachers union were both reviewing the report.

鈥淲e are continuing to review the report and the impacts of its proposals, and look forward to working with the Governor and the legislature moving forward,鈥� Education Department spokesperson Jenna Lyle said in a statement.

Michael Mulgrew, president of the United Federation of Teachers, said, 鈥淪ome ideas sound promising. Others are cause for concern.鈥�

He was focused, he said, 鈥渙n what changes need to take place if we are to better support our city鈥檚 students, educators, and school communities.鈥�

Looking ahead: Formula need regular updates, report says

Regardless of how state officials choose to update Foundation Aid, the Rockefeller Institute noted more regular revisions to the school funding formula are critical. The report noted student populations and needs, state learning standards, and other measures of academic achievement are all subject to change each year.

鈥淎ssuming state policymakers enact some of the recommendations quickly, they should not wait another 17 years to examine the Foundation Aid formula for additional needed revision,鈥� the report said. 鈥淎n essential part of this reform effort should be a commitment to revisit the Foundation Aid formula every three to five years.鈥�

Julian Shen-Berro is a reporter covering New York City. Contact him at jshen-berro@chalkbeat.org.

Chalkbeat is a nonprofit news site covering educational change in public schools.

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?

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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. .

When I asked subscribers to my how they felt about the law, which is scheduled to take full effect in 2028, the results were mixed.

Some parents were for it:

Min San: In a small class, teachers can hone in on those who need attention as well as those who need enrichment. I don’t pretend to know the budget and political maneuvering necessary to accomplish this.

Jordan Feigenbaum, member of Community Education Council 13: I鈥檝e seen first-hand the better learning, higher engagement and happier and more well-adjusted kids that occur in classes with fewer students, and conversely the opposite happen in 30+ kid rooms.

Some parents were against it:

Yiatin Chu: Many schools in NYC already have small class sizes. I know that to be true in District 1 where I served as a CEC member. Declining enrollment in the district has made class sizes quite small. Academic outcomes are not better. I’d like to see even a cursory analysis to show that small class size has delivered on the promise of a better education for those students. 

Jean Hahn, co-founder, : The idea that almost every single school in an overcrowded school district such as District 28 would have to reduce their enrollment by 20-30% while losing G&T, honors, AP classes and special ed services makes no sense at all.

But it wasn鈥檛 until Leonie Haimson, director of , put out the call that I heard from some 20 teachers in a span of 24 hours. All of them supported the class size law. 

They argued that large classes made their jobs more stressful, especially post-pandemic.

鈥淪ince COVID, my students are more behind than I ever expected,鈥� confessed West Bronx Academy鈥檚 Meg Stewart. 鈥�Their behaviors, skill levels, maturity, retention levels and attention spans are akin to a middle schooler.鈥�

Numerous teachers asserted that the stress of instructing students at different levels was driving many to .

鈥淭he city is having a hard time holding onto experienced teachers,鈥� Gilly Nadel confirmed, 鈥渁nd large classes are part of the problem.鈥�

Even parents against the class size law, like Natalya Murakhver of , agreed that 鈥渨hat we need are more quality schools that retain talented, senior teachers.鈥� 

I, too, have long been a proponent of teachers as absolutely the most important aspect of education. Under this law, NYC will need to hire . 

Where will they come from? 

, when then-Mayor Bill deBlasio announced universal pre-K, promising a teacher with a master’s degree in early childhood education in every classroom to serve the 70,000 students who鈥檇 be enrolling, I turned to my husband (a teacher), and asked: Are there thousands of unemployed wandering NYC with a master’s in early childhood education?

. NYC made do by hiring college graduates with any bachelor鈥檚 degree, giving them six weeks of training and tossing them into the classroom.

Imagine that problem magnified throughout elementary, middle and high school, where subject mastery becomes more and more important.

鈥�My Bronx school has a hard time hiring science, math, special ed and language instructors,鈥� admitted art teacher Jake Jacobs. 鈥淎s a result, we typically have many first-year teachers (including [Teach for America] or Teaching Fellows, whose training is fast-tracked).鈥�

Chu worried that, 鈥淲e already have a teacher shortage. I really don’t know how they will even find the teachers to hire for this mandate. I have grave concerns about lowering the standards for teacher certification.鈥�

Mom Laraine Deangelis, who supports the law, nevertheless wondered, 鈥淚 saw research that suggested lowering class size is only effective when the teacher is experienced. The research did not define experienced.鈥�

While others parse details of , I am most concerned about teachers: Who will they be? What kind of training will they receive? Will the least experienced be sent to schools facing the greatest challenges, as experienced teachers are hired away by wealthier, higher-performing schools? 

I worry that a mass influx of unprepared instructors into the neediest classrooms will ultimately nullify any potential small class-size gains.