The legislature began printing state budget bills Tuesday evening, which included the release of the main education bill a few hours ago. There are remaining budget bills that have not yet been released, but in the interest of providing timely updates, we have included a high-level summary of the education-related budget items that have been printed so far. We note that new state aid runs have not yet been released.
- Full funding of Foundation Aid
- Minimum 2% Foundation Aid increase for all districts
- Foundation Aid formula changes to student poverty/need factors, as proposed by Governor
- Additional formula changes to slightly boost English language learner (ELL) weighting (0.50 to 0.53) and establish a regional cost index unique to Westchester County
- Universal free school breakfast and lunch, as proposed by the Governor
- Increase to the BOCES aidable salary cap - from the current $30k, to $60k in 2028-29
- Increase to special services aid for non-component school districts - from $3,900 per pupil up to $4,100 (multiplied by the career education aid ratio) - and expanded from grades 10-12 to grades 9-12
- Reforms to the zero-emission bus transition
- Allows for an additional 24 month extension to the 2027 new purchase date
- Expands justification to also include “any other factors outside of the control of the district”
- Establishes an independent battery range estimate process/requirement
- Allows for an additional 24 month extension to the 2027 new purchase date
- Extends the authority of school districts and BOCES to hire public retirees without regard to the income earnings cap, for an additional two years (would now expire in 2027, rather than 2025)
- A bell-to-bell ban on the student use of smart devices - with certain exceptions – as proposed by the Governor
- One new change to allow, on a case by case basis, a student to use a device if the student is “routinely responsible for the care and well-being of a family member”
NYSSBA Governmental Relations will continue to review the budget bills that have been released and will also continue to provide updates when additional bills are printed. A full comprehensive review will be released in the days to come. NYSSBA will also be scheduling a webinar to review the final budget, likely to be scheduled for next week.