Earlier today, Governor Kathy Hochul delivered a presentation in support of her 2026-27 executive budget proposal. She was accompanied by Director of the State Division of Budget Blake Washington. A budget briefing book, with explanatory details, was released during her presentation. Budget bills were released shortly after the presentation.
Based on those materials, initial notable highlights include:
- $1.32 billion increase in formula-based school aid (+3.6%), as reflected on school aid runs
- Full-funding of the existing Foundation Aid formula, resulting in a $779 million (+3.0%) increase
- Guaranteed minimum Foundation Aid increase of 1% (approx. 450 districts)
- No proposed changes to the Foundation Aid formula
- Full-funding of expense-based reimbursement aids, including transportation, BOCES and special education, totaling a $122 million increase
- Budget materials note an additional anticipated $170 million in building aid, based on additional expected final cost reports for capital projects
- Increase of $431 million to support phase-in expansion of universal 4-year-old pre-k
- Budget materials note an additional anticipated $130 million to “school districts expanding their programs to serve more four-year-olds in the 2026-27 school year”
- By 2028-29, requires all school districts provide pre-k access to 4-year-olds whose parents/guardians apply
- Full-funding of the existing Foundation Aid formula, resulting in a $779 million (+3.0%) increase
- Continued full-funding of universal school meals, resulting in an additional $55 million
- Requires the State Education Department to issue best practices for math and numeracy instruction, and subsequent verification of alignment by school districts
- No new proposed changes to the zero-emission school bus transition mandate
The state Division of Budget has also posted traditional school aid runs, showing how these proposals impact state aid at a district-specific level. The runs can be viewed below.
2026-27 Executive Budget School Aid Runs
A comprehensive summary of the executive budget proposal will be produced in the days to come. Further, the NYSSBA Governmental Relations team will host a webinar reviewing the executive budget proposal during our Capital Conference the morning of Friday, February 6.
2026 Capital Conference and Lobby Day
Friday, February 6, 2026 – NYSSBA Annual Capital Conference (Virtual)
Sponsored by Utica National Insurance Group
This half-day morning live virtual advocacy conference will feature conversations with state policymakers, a review of the executive budget proposal and other important information to support your local advocacy efforts. As we have done in the past, the event will be recorded and shared with our members.
Wednesday, February 11, 2026 – NYSSBA Annual Lobby Day (In-Person)
Join us for our annual Lobby Day at the NYS Capitol. We will provide a light breakfast, coffee, and talking points. Legislative meetings are scheduled by attendees.