This first-of-its-kind program is designed for New York school business officials and focuses on the real-world challenges SBOs face every day including: capacity constraints, fragmented processes, rising compliance demands, inconsistent controls, and increasing expectations for financial sustainability. Participants will learn practical methods to streamline workflows, reduce operational waste, strengthen internal controls, and uncover opportunities for meaningful time and cost savings within their district.

As a pilot participant, members will receive a special discounted rate and will help shape how future New York cohorts are structured. Graduates will also be eligible to continue on to the Lead and Strategic levels of the OpEx framework, progressing toward full certification.

Dr. Ron Clamser, ASBO New York Board President, said, “Partnering with ISBL allows us to bring a globally proven framework with field tested solutions to our member districts. This pilot aligns with ASBO New York’s strategic goals of providing innovative and quality professional growth opportunities to our members and advocating in support of excellence in public education through public school finance and operations.” 

ISBL, the U.K.–based counterpart to ASBO International, developed the OpEx for Education™ framework in partnership with industry experts after observing its proven success in other sectors for reducing operational inefficiencies and generating substantial cost savings. Launched in the U.K. more than a year ago, OpEx has been rapidly adopted by large Multi-Academy Trusts—their equivalent of U.S. school districts—with demand so high that sessions routinely reach capacity. Early results have been significant: trusts aligning themselves with ISBL and partners around OpEx savings are reporting over $1 million in savings in the first year alone, with additional seven-figure savings projected next year through process improvements enabled by the framework.

According to ISBL CEO Stephen Morales, “Great practice exists in schools, but it isn’t always replicated. Operational Excellence provides leaders with a blueprint for reliable, ‘first time, every time’ operations while honoring local context. This is a framework every school leader will benefit from, and we’re thrilled to launch it in New York with the dynamic ASBO New York team.”

The Associate Level workshop provides a hands-on introduction to the core competencies of the OpEx for Education™ framework. Throughout the day, participants will learn to identify inefficiencies and operational waste, strengthen workflow reliability, map and improve district processes, and make more data-informed operational decisions. All participants will receive an ISBL Associate Level Certificate of Completion and will be among the first in the U.S. eligible to progress to the Lead and Strategic levels of training.

The pilot will be held on February 24, 2026, at ASBO New York Headquarters in Latham and is limited to 30 participants. The special pilot rate is $995, reflecting the fixed instructional cost structure for this one-time offering. Participation is open exclusively to ASBO New York members and their selected colleagues.

If you're interested in learning more and registering an early spot, please contact our Director of Professional Development & Events, Rebecca Sheehan at rebecca@asbonewyork.org.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

May 3, 2023

Contact:       
Brian Cechnicki
(518) 434-2281 x108brian@asbonewyork.org

Statement from ASBO New York Executive Director Brian Cechnicki on the Passage of the 2023-24 Enacted Budget

Albany, NY – Brian Cechnicki, ASBO New York Executive Director, released the following statement on the passage of the 2023-24 Enacted Budget:

“After over two decades of tireless efforts, the reality of a fully funded Foundation Aid formula has been, at long last, achieved. On behalf of our nearly 3,000 members and the children of New York State, we thank Governor Hochul, Majority Leader Stewart-Cousins, and Speaker Heastie for their support and leadership for this momentous accomplishment.

The 2023-24 Enacted Budget is an achievement of which we can all be proud. In addition to the completion of the Foundation Aid phase-in, the state is taking important steps to provide universal meals to all students, with a $134 million investment toward an expansion of meals eligibility.

We are also pleased with the $150 million expansion of prekindergarten programs, and look forward to continuing to work with policymakers to ensure that the policy and funding designs will allow all eligible school districts to participate in creating or expanding programs.

Finally, we want to thank all three leaders for eliminating provisions in the school finance proposals that created unnecessary obstacles in utilizing the Foundation Aid funds and generated burdensome compliance exercises that diverted school district resources away from focusing on children’s education to instead complete complicated and burdensome reporting forms.”

###

April 9, 2022

Contact:        Brian Cechnicki
                       (518) 434-2281 x108
                       brian@asbonewyork.org

Statement by ASBO New York Executive Director Brian Cechnicki on Passage of 2022-23 Enacted State Budget

Albany, NY – Brian Cechnicki, the Executive Director of ASBO New York, the Association of School Business Officials, released the following statement in response to the education proposals included in 2022-23 Enacted Budget:

“ASBO New York, and its members, are pleased to see Governor Hochul and the legislature remain committed to phase-in a fully funded Foundation Aid formula as promised in last year’s budget. The stability provided by a predictable state aid formula allows school districts to provide the services and support needed to students while adhering to a long-range financial plan. 

We’d also like to thank policymakers for including $500 million to help school districts transition to zero-emission school buses in the upcoming Environmental Bond Act. Albany has set an ambitious goal to transition to electric or hydrogen-celled school buses for the nearly 50,000 school buses currently in operation in the state. We appreciate the collaboration between the educational and environmental advocacy groups to help make this proposal more feasible for school districts to achieve, and we look forward to the continuing work to accomplish this feat. 

While many of our legislative priorities were included in this year’s enacted budget, there is still work that remains to be done on behalf of school districts across the state. We look forward to working with our partners in the legislature and governor’s office to assist schools with the resources and support necessary to provide the highest quality education to our students.”

###

Statement by ASBO New York Executive Director Brian Cechnicki on Governor Kathy Hochul’s 2022-23 Executive Budget Proposal

Albany, NY – Brian Cechnicki, the Executive Director of ASBO New York, the Association of
School Business Officials, released the following statement in response to the education
proposals included in Governor Hochul’s 2022-23 Executive Budget:

“We are excited and encouraged by Governor Hochul’s first Executive Budget, which
maintains her commitment to continuing with the phase-in of Foundation Aid as promised in
last year’s budget. The COVID-19 pandemic has presented many challenges to school
districts, and this budget will continue to provide the needed support to overcome these
challenges.

The governor’s proposal closely aligns with our own state aid proposal for the 2022-23
school year, and we are very supportive of many of the elements included. In addition to the
Foundation Aid phase-in levels, the governor is also proposing to fully fund expense-based
aids that provide support for operational supports like transportation and school
construction, as well as forgiveness for certain aid penalties that school districts and our
organization have long sought.

We will continue to review the details of the proposal and look forward to working with the
Legislature to make the governor’s proposal, and our other legislative priorities, a reality in
this legislative session.”

For more on the 2022-23 ASBO New York State Aid Proposal, please visit
https://www.asbonewyork.org/page/statebudget.

For Further Information Contact: 
Brian Cechnicki 
brian@asbonewyork.org 
518.434.2281, ext. 108 

ASBO released the following statement from Interim Executive Director Amanda Wing:

ASBO New York would like to thank our Congressional delegation for including financial aid for public education institutions in the recently passed federal stimulus package.

Through in-person, remote, or hybrid learning models, school districts have taken extraordinary steps to provide a safe and healthy learning environment. Districts have incurred significant expenses to meet these challenges. With this new funding to be distributed through the State, ASBO joins the Board of Regents in calling for our state leaders to ensure that all school districts receive their full aid payments for the 2020-2021 fiscal year. It is also crucial that policymakers take the steps necessary to ensure that these new federal funds do not negatively impact the tax cap calculations for the 2021-2022 school year.

As New York begins to formulate the 2021-2022 State budget, it is imperative that we remain committed to fulfilling our constitutional and moral obligation to provide a sound education for all students. In order for New York to fulfill their duties, the federal government must meet theirs. As such, Congress must provide additional funding to support state and local governments. Without this funding, the cascading fiscal strain would prove disastrous for school districts and New York as a whole.

CONTACT:

John Yagelski, ECB Chair
518-664-5101
chair@nysecb.org

November 12, 2020 (Albany, NY) – Today, the NYS Educational Conference Board (ECB), a group comprised of parents, teachers, and school leaders called on state policy makers to support schools, and oppose any cuts to state aid for schools.  The 20% reduction in state aid that schools have been warned about for months as a state budget gap closing measure for the current year (2020-21) would have enormous consequences for students, communities and the economy - and no matter how it’s distributed, a 20% state aid loss is untenable.

Please view the full ECB Paper here.

“In these unprecedented times, schools need more support, not less,” offered ECB chair John Yagelski. “Over the past months schools have supported families, teachers, staff and communities in astounding ways, and now is the time for our state policy makers to support them back.”

Highlights of the paper detail that:

• The enacted state budget already reduced state support for schools for 2020-21 by $1.1 billion through the Pandemic Adjustment;
• A 20% state aid cut represents a $5.2 billion loss of funding. No matter how such a reduction is distributed, it would be devastating for schools;
• A 20% reduction in state aid is roughly double the size of any other state aid cut in history;
• Mid-year cuts are especially disruptive to students and districts’ fiscal stability; and
• A reduction of 20% of state aid would bring the state’s share of school funding to a historic low.

"Under normal circumstances, right now we'd be preparing to tell our elected representatives how much additional funding our students require in the upcoming state budget to continue to thrive," said NYSSBA Executive Director Robert Schneider. "This year, we find ourselves having to impress upon state officials just how devastating an impact a mid-year aid cut would have on schools."

A 20% state aid cut would bring the state’s share of school funding to a historic low. ECB estimates that if a 20% reduction to all state-funded programs to schools were to occur, this would fall to 30%, which is lower than any year since 1940 when this was first recorded.

“The pandemic has shown us one thing; our schools can do amazing things for children in our most difficult times of need. From transforming into immediate online instruction, to find ways to feed our 2.6 million public school children overnight, our schools lead the way. Now, we must support them. Our children cannot withstand any cuts to programs or services. Cuts to school aid would have an everlasting effect on their learning – and we simply cannot allow that,” added Kyle Belokopitsky, NYS PTA Executive Director.

Jennifer Pyle, Executive Director of the Conference of Big 5 School Districts added, “School districts across New York State continue to work tirelessly to provide continuity of academic instruction and to serve the unique needs of their communities during these unprecedented and difficult times.   A reduction in school aid would be devastating to these efforts in the state’s urban centers as they have been particularly hard hit by the pandemic, are heavily reliant on state aid for education and serve the majority of the state’s most vulnerable students. It is imperative that the state ensure that all school districts have the resources required to serve the needs of all children.”

“There is just no way that School Aid can be cut by 20%, and not in the middle of the school year. A straight 20% reduction from every district would be devastating to schools serving our poorest communities. A more targeted cut would still damage every district. This is not a normal year, either—schools have had to absorb extraordinary costs to reopen safely. The 98.4% passage rate for school budgets last June showed that the public recognizes the contributions their schools have been making. To keep meeting the needs of students and families, schools need continued funding,” offered Charles Dedrick, NYSCOSS Executive Director.

“School districts across the state have been contending with unprecedented challenges and increased operating costs due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. A 20 percent reduction in state aid would pose an existential threat to the New York State public education system. We have a constitutional obligation to provide education to all of our students, and we must reject any policy which would prevent us from doing so,” offered Amanda Wing, Interim Executive Director of ASBO.

“This is simple: Devastating cuts to state aid will lead to a reprehensible loss of opportunities for students. Period,” NYSUT President Andy Pallotta said. “It’s time to refocus on federal stimulus funding and state revenues that can help cover the budget gap and stop deep cuts to public schools. The alternative simply isn’t acceptable for students, educators and families alike.”

“Building level administrators and programs leaders work tirelessly to provide instruction and support to students, staff and the community at large during this critical pandemic period. Since March they have risked their own health and worked non-stop to ensure the wellbeing of students and staff. These are serious times and we must provide schools and their leaders with needed resources. We understand fully the economic crisis facing this state, but more fully understand that we must find a way to sustain schools,” added Kevin Casey, Executive Director of SAANYS.

ECB members recognize the toll that COVID-19 has taken on the state finances and the challenges this has created. Yet, if we are to keep our public education system intact and meet student needs, a 20% reduction in state aid, no matter how it is structured, cannot occur. Circumstances may preclude avoiding an aid reduction, but if this is the case, it must be considerably less than 20% and carefully account for the impact on all districts. In any scenario, significant and sustained federal funding is necessary. Otherwise, we risk catastrophe for a generation of students and the schools they attend.

#30#

The New York State Educational Conference Board is comprised of the Conference of Big 5 School Districts; the New York State Council of School Superintendents; New York State PTA; the New York State School Boards Association; New York State United Teachers; the School Administrators Association of New York State; and the Association of School Business Officials of New York.

To view this document in its original form click here.

In the recently adopted state budget, new language was inserted that required all employers to provide 3 hours of paid time off to vote, regardless of whether that employee had sufficient time prior to or after their workday. Since a majority, if not all, school and BOCES employee’s workday ends by 3 p.m., these employees have sufficient time to vote.

“This language was inserted in the state budget at the last moment without consulting the education community and does a great disservice to students and taxpayers who will be adversely impacted by these new requirements,” stated Michael J. Borges, ASBO Executive Director.

“School districts are already facing difficulties in hiring bus drivers and finding substitutes, can you imagine the chaos that will ensue when every school district in the state needs to find replacements on the same day,” continued Mr. Borges.

The first time this will impact districts statewide is Primary Day on June 25^th, which also happens to be a Regents Exam day. The petition was hand delivered to the chairs of the Education Committee’s in the Assembly and Senate and sent to all legislators via email and regular mail.

The law requires employers to post a notice at place of work 10 working days prior to the election (June 11^th) alerting employees of the provisions of this law. Employees must give two day notice to their employer if they want to take time paid off to vote.

“This is a law of significant financial, logistical and academic unintended consequences that should have never been allowed in the first place,” concluded Mr. Borges.

For further information contact:
Michael J. Borges
mborges@asbonewyork.org
518-434-2281, ext. 108

To download this press release, click here.

Traditionally, the benefits of public education have been measured over the long-term. As students graduate from high school and enter the workforce or attend college, they contribute back to society and their communities through both civic engagement (e.g., voting and volunteering) and financial support (e.g., paying taxes to fund Social Security or donations to charitable organizations). Beyond public education’s long-term benefits, there are more immediate economic impacts that school districts have on their communities. Until now, no one has measured them systematically.

This analysis uses an economic multiplier that measures both the direct and spillover impact of school district spending in terms of employment, income, and taxes generated.

“This analysis shows that public education has a substantial economic impact on the state in addition to its important role in preparing students for college or careers,” says Michael Borges, Executive Director of ASBO New York.

In addition to the statewide economic impact of public education, ASBO’s School District Economic Impact tool shows the jobs, payroll, and taxes generated by each school district and the impact on each region.

“This month communities across the state will vote on school budgets for the 2019-20 school year,” Borges continues. “ASBO’s School District Economic Impact study provides voters additional data about the impact public schools have on their communities, regions and state.”

Contact the school business official at school districts in your area to get individual district information.

To read the full report, click here.

To download the press release, click here.

“We appreciate recent actions by the Legislature to include in the State Budget ASBO’s recommendations for reducing costs for school districts by allowing piggybacking of transportation contracts and staggering Building Condition Surveys.  However, more cost saving measures need to be enacted, particularly if Foundation Aid is not fully funded, to offset these rising health care costs,” stated Michael J. Borges, ASBO Executive Director.

The report also looks at regional increases in health care spending as well as projected increases for the 2019-20 school year.  Health care costs increased the most over a five-year period in the Finger Lakes region (31.8%), the Hudson Valley (29.7%), and on Long Island (27.7%).

Projected health insurance costs for the 2019-20 school year are expected to rise the most in the Mohawk Valley (6.7%), and the Capital District and Central New York (6.2%) based on survey responses.

“These increases will be unsustainable in the long-term, particularly for high-need or fiscally stressed school districts, and the state needs to do more to assist school districts with reigning in these spiraling costs,” continued Mr. Borges.  “The state should take steps to facilitate the participation of school districts, particularly small high-need districts, in health insurance consortiums that work together to help contain costs.  In addition, the state should allow school districts to participate in a statewide prescription drug plan, which would allow the bulk purchasing of medicine that will help reduce costs,” commented Mr. Borges.

To download the press release, click here.

To read the full report, click here.

Although the statewide tax cap allows levy growth of two percent for 2019-20, the maximum allowable tax increase for 2019-20 is 2.9% (with permissable exclusions such as capital projects), while the actual proposed tax increase statewide is 2.6%, meaning school districts are levying less than what is permitted.

In addition, 13 districts indicate they plan to override their tax caps, which is on par with last two years, although the number may change when budgets are submitted to voters in May. A majority (10 out of 13) of the school districts proposing overrides are very small in size with student enrollments of less than 700.

"These are tentative numbers and if the state fails to come through with sufficient state aid, you will see a change for the worst in school district budgets, with more districts proposing painful cuts that impact students" stated Michael J. Borges, ASBO Executive Director.

Read the full tax cap analysis here.

“The Governor’s proposal uses a sledgehammer to reign in growth in these 11 aid categories, when a scalpel will do,” stated Michael J. Borges, ASBO New York Executive Director. “A majority of the growth in these 11 aid categories occur in two categories: transportation and BOCES. Transportation costs consistently outpace inflation and ASBO has offered a number of proposals for sharing and bidding reforms that will reduce costs,” continued Mr. Borges.

“School districts rely on BOCES for essential services and educational opportunities for students that would be difficult for districts to replicate individually. The special education and career and technical education programs are key aspects of BOCES services that would be curtailed by these proposed cuts in aid. The impact would be especially felt by small and rural school districts with neither the financial or human resources to replace these BOCES services,” said Mr. Borges.

The 2019-20 Executive Budget proposes to change eleven reimbursable aids to school districts to a block grant that would grow based on changes in inflation and district-level enrollment. The net result of this change would be a sharp decrease in the growth of state aid to school districts without doing anything to reduce their expenses.

While the proposal includes 11 different forms of formula aids, ASBO analysis shows that for more than 96 percent of school districts, only two categories have grown at all in the past five years: transportation aid and BOCES aid.[1] Figure 1 compares annual growth in these categories with the growth rate that would have been used if the Governor’s proposal were in effect for that year.

Figure 1. Comparing Actual State Aid Increases with Projected Growth Rate Using Governor’s Proposal

Growth in both aid categories far outpaces the proposed growth factor, which is a district’s enrollment change added to the rate of inflation, with a minimum of zero. That means if inflation is low in a given year, school districts may be held to no growth for aid in the coming year, even if inflation increases.

The Governor’s proposal if enacted would take place in school year 2020-21. Applying the proposal to previous years shows that the cumulative impact of these cuts is dramatic over a short period of time. For example, Figure 2 shows that using 2015-16 as the base year for the block grant would cut 2019-20 aid for most school districts. High-need rural school districts are the most reliant on this aid and would have experienced the largest reductions of $211 per student. Except for New York City, all other need/resource capacity categories would experience large net reductions.

“ASBO urges the Legislature to reject this cap on state aid to school districts that would further shift the cost to local taxpayers for funding state mandated services,” concluded Mr. Borges.

The report analyzes student need, student achievement, and school district finances, which documents a persistent resource and achievement gap.  School districts with the highest levels of student need have lower levels of fiscal capacity and student achievement.

The state’s inability to fully fund its Foundation Aid formula significantly impacts high-need small city school districts, which have $2,619 per student in Foundation Aid still due to them based on the formula enacted in 2007 and still in effect.  More than a third of high-need small city school districts receive less than 80 percent of their Foundation Aid. High-need small city school districts currently spend $21,337 per pupil, well below the $25,722 per pupil spent in non-city school districts. Fully funding Foundation Aid would significantly narrow this gap and provide much needed resources to support student learning.

ASBO recommends the state commit to a full phase-in of the Foundation Aid formula that prioritizes high-need districts that are furthest away from their calculated aid.

The report also analyzes the different rules small city school districts encounter when calculating their debt limits, which impacts their ability to borrow or bond for capital projects like renovations or new construction. A combination of constitutional and statutory policies results in a median small city school district debt limit of $18,736 per pupil, while the median non-city school district debt limit is $159,036 per pupil.  

In order to exceed these artificially low debt limits, small city school districts need to obtain voter approval with a super majority (60%), as well as approval of the Commissioner of Education and State Comptroller.  Small city school business officials tell us these requirements make it harder to do capital projects and place them at a disadvantage compared to neighboring districts.

The greatest factor explaining this disparity in debt limits is that non-city school districts are allowed to reduce the overall cost of the project by the amount of state building aid they receive for the project, thereby reducing the amount that is borrowed or bonded.  Whereas small city school districts borrowing limit is based on the total cost of the project without reductions for the state aid they receive.

To level the playing field, ASBO recommends that small city school districts be treated the same as other districts and have their borrowing limit based on capital project costs minus state aid.

 “Small city school districts, especially high need small city school districts, have two clear problems:  inadequate state funding and an unfair debt limit,” said Michael Borges, ASBO New York’s Executive Director.  “Children will continue to be denied the opportunities they need for success unless the state fully funds Foundation Aid and corrects the unfairness in debt limit requirements,” he concluded.

To read the report, click here.

To download this press release, click here.

To see other ASBO New York reports, click here.

• Economic and student achievement outcomes.
• Strategic resource use in schools.
• The adequacy of state funding.
• Local control and the responsibility of boards of education to determine resources in schools.
• Transparency and communication with the public about school level financing.
• Compliance with new federal requirements for school districts to report school level spending under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), and
• What the results are for 76 school districts, which were required to report school level budgets this August to New York State.

“Both the state and federal governments now require school districts to report both budgeted funding for each school and actual expenditures, rather than for the district as a whole, which is currently the practice,” stated Michael J. Borges, ASBO Executive Director.

 “The paper and symposium are intended to begin a dialogue on the impact of these new reporting requirements on both state funding policies and school district level decision making,” concluded Mr. Borges.

Anyone interested in attending the 5^th Annual School Finance Symposium can register here.

To read the report, click here.

To read the annotated bibliography, click here.

To download this press release, click here.

These health insurance costs would have been higher if not for a majority of school districts participating in health insurance consortiums that pool their buying power to purchase health insurance which saves the districts and their taxpayer’s money.

For example, districts that participate in the New York Health Insurance Plan (NYSHIP) are facing a 7.2% increase for next year. NYSHIP is the health insurance plan for state workers, which allow local governments to participate.

In 2016-17, the last year we have complete data, health care costs rose 5.9%, while inflation rose 1.8% and total school spending rose 3.1%. Total spending on health care in 2016-17 was $6.6 billion or 9.6% of overall school spending.

“In the Governor’s State of State, we applauded proposal to ease regulations to allow for the creation of health care consortia by local governments, and are hopeful that the Governor will sign legislation that will allow small and mainly rural school districts with less than 100 employees to stay in their health insurance consortiums,” stated Michael J. Borges, NYSASBO Executive Director.

“Approximately 114 school districts that have less than 100 employees are in danger of being kicked out of their health insurance consortiums and face double digit increases in their premiums if the legislation, which is due to pass this week, is not signed by the Governor,” continued Mr. Borges.

To read the complete report click here.

To download the press release, click here.

Unfortunately, voter turnout continues to plummet, with turnout dropping 10% from last year and 48% since 2010 to a new low of 505,075 voters in 2018. Despite a high passage rate for school budgets, the overall share of yes votes saw a significant decline.

This report looks at the trends in turnout, tax cap overrides, negative tax caps, and regional variations in turnout and support over time for 669 major school districts and five minor school districts.

Other significant findings from the analysis:

• 16 budgets overall were defeated.
• 14 budgets attempted a tax cap override-- 7 passed and 7 were defeated.
• Voters passed 16 of the 17 budgets with negative tax caps.
• The largest ten-year decline in voter turn- out was 39.3 % in the Hudson Valley.

 “Although the budget passage rate remained at historically high levels, the continued decline in voter participation is troubling both for our democracy at large and to public oversight of our educational system,” stated Michael J. Borges, NYSASBO Executive Director.

“Next year may be more problematic for schools, particularly those that have exhausted fund balances, rely heavily on state aid, and are in communities adversely impacted by the Trump tax changes,” concluded Mr. Borges.

To read the complete report click here.

To download the press release, click here.

To read the Property Tax Cap report, click here [PDF].

To download the press release, click here [PDF].

1. Make NY Safe Act enhanced funding for security upgrades permanent. The NY Safe Act promotes school safety by allowing security devices like reinforced entry systems, cameras, and metal detectors eligible for building aid. Recent state budgets increased aid for security upgrades by 10 percent to encourage school districts to install these measures. This enhanced funding should be made permanent rather than subject to annual appropriation.
   
   
2. Pass legislation (S.2946/A.8327) that would allow school districts to hire retired police officers as School Resource Officers (SROs) without needing an SED waiver to exceed the $30,000 salary cap. This would help every school have access to well-qualified school resource officers.
   
   
3. Expedite the approval process for Building Aid for capital projects and Smart Schools Bond Act funding by providing additional funding and civil service exemptions for SED to hire additional professional staff to meet the demand.
   
   
4. Make Community Schools Aid a separate categorical aid to supplement Foundation Aid to be used for mental health and social service support. This would allow Foundation Aid to be unrestricted while ensuring Community Schools Aid is targeted to these critical areas of need. Increased funding for a separate Community Schools categorical aid should allow all schools to provide mental health services.
   
   
5. Exempt security expenditures from the property tax cap. The vast majority of school districts across the state adopt tax cap compliant budgets, which limits their ability to raise local revenue. Because student safety is a pressing issue, exempting local spending from the tax cap would allow school districts to invest in school security while still complying with the tax cap.
   

Student safety is the number one priority for school districts. It has become evident that schools need increased security measures, however, which come at a cost. The state must partner with schools by identifying funding streams to support School Resource Officers and other ongoing security measures. These proposals identify ways that school districts can make meaningful, timely contributions to student safety and how the state can help school districts meet the fiscal challenges for these safety measures.

Click here to read the full press release [PDF]

• The three regions with the highest concentrations of ELLS are New York City, Long Island, and the Hudson Valley. These regions combined enroll 88 percent of ELLs in the state.
• In three regions, ELLs make up one percent or less of enrollment: the Mohawk Valley, North Country, and Southern Tier.
• Across Need/Resource-Capacity categories, Big Five and Urban/Suburban-High Need School districts have the largest shares of ELLs and are also the NRCs with the highest levels of student economic need.
• The five most common languages for ELLs are Spanish, Chinese, Arabic, Bengali, and Russian. In total, ELLs speak 215 different languages.
• The state is currently $4.2 billion short of fully funding its Foundation Aid formula, and districts with high levels of ELLs also have the greatest amount of Foundation Aid still due. Urban/Suburban High-Need districts, which have the greatest concentration of ELLs relative to their enrollment, would receive $4,212 more per pupil in Foundation Aid if it was fully funded.

To help school districts with high levels of ELLs provide the constitutionally mandated sound, basic education for all students, NYSASBO recommends:

• $1.4 billion Foundation Aid phase-in to be funded for three years to fully realize the Foundation Aid formula
  
• $100 million English language learner temporary categorical aid to provide immediate benefit until the Foundation Aid formula is fully phased in
• Reevaluate the true cost of educating English language learners to update the Foundation Aid formula weightings
  

“The rapid growth of English language learners in school districts with significant economic need is an additional strain on scarce resources. The state needs to keep the promise it made when it created the Foundation Aid formula so that all students have access to a quality education,” stated Michael J. Borges, NYSASBO Executive Director.

• To read the complete report click here
• To download the press release click here

Today NYSASBO released an analysis of economic need in New York public schools that shows increasing levels of poverty and economic hardship both statewide and by region. While overall enrollments are declining – 89 percent of districts lost students in the past 10 years – school districts are burdened by increases in economically disadvantaged students that have emerged from the Great Recession.

Outside of NYC, Long Island experienced the smallest decline in student population, while the Southern Tier and the Finger Lakes regions experienced the largest declines in student population.

NYSASBO’s analysis shows clear connections between local resources, student need, and student achievement.  Proficiency rates on state English language arts and math exams range from 19 percent in the neediest decile to 68 percent in the lowest-need decile.

In terms of local resources, the statewide average spending per pupil in 2015-16 was $23,361, while low need districts spent $27,109 and high need urban/suburban districts spent $21,255 per pupil respectively.

Outside of NYC, the Mohawk Valley has the highest poverty rates and lowest ELA/Math proficiency scores, while Long Island has the lowest poverty rates and highest proficiency scores.

The Foundation Aid formula, the state’s primary mechanism for funding public schools, is $3.6 billion short of being fully phased-in. The highest need districts also have the highest levels of Foundation Aid still due.  Outside of NYC, Long Island is still due the most in Foundation Aid ($806 million) and the North Country is due the least ($40 million).

“Although the data confirms what we already know, that poverty and low academic achievement go hand in hand, what is startling is that common sense, research-based recommendations to address poverty in the Foundation Aid formula go unheeded”, stated Michael J. Borges, NYSASBO Executive Director.

Last year education advocacy groups, including NYSASBO, advocated for changes to the Foundation Aid formula that would utilize up-to-date data, and improve the measurement of student poverty among other recommendations.

“I am hopeful that this coming legislative session will bring long overdue changes to the Foundation Aid formula that will lead to greater success by students in poverty”, concluded Mr. Borges.

Contact: Michael J. Borges
518-434-2281, ext. 108
mborges@nysasbo.org

Full Report Available Here

Download Press Release Here

Proficiency rates in both ELA and Math are significantly lower in high-need school districts. For example, in high-need urban and suburban districts, 17.5 percent of students are proficient in ELA and 16.7 percent are proficient in math. However, in low-need districts 60.1 percent of students are proficient in ELA and 64.6 percent are proficient in math.

 “Sadly, the findings of this research note are neither new nor unexpected.  As long as the state ignores the inequities and flaws in the state aid formulas, the longer the achievement gaps will persist.  A first step in addressing this inequity is to adopt the recommendations of our 2016 Foundation Aid Task Force, which called for using updated data, eliminating artificial caps on wealth and poverty, and identifying the real costs of educating ELLs and students with disabilities,” stated Michael J. Borges, NYSASBO Executive Director.

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Sustained enrollment declines and increasing student poverty have placed enormous strain on rural schools. 

Over the past ten years, 84.9 percent of rural schools have suffered enrollment decreases of at least 10 percent, while the poverty rate for rural school students grew from 13.7 percent to 17.7 percent.  Other demographic changes, such as an increasing share of state population over 55 (increasing from 24.4% in 2000 to 33.4% in 2016), is another challenge for rural communities.

“The challenges facing rural school districts and their communities requires a comprehensive approach from state policymakers that recognizes their unique needs and limitations,” stated Michael J. Borges, NYSASBO Executive Director.

“The state needs to provide targeted incentives and remove road blocks to collaborative efforts that seek to create a more efficient and effective educational framework for rural school students,” concluded Mr. Borges.

ASBO supports regional high schools, the utilization of BOCES and other shared service models, distance/online learning among other proposals to assist rural schools in providing a quality education to their students in a cost effective manner.

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Of districts that did not act to provide the veterans’ exemption authorized by Chapter 518 of the Laws of 2013, reasons included: public opposition (one percent), administrative decision not to pursue (26 percent) and ‘Other’ (73 percent). For those 122 school districts that gave ‘Other’ as the reason, the following explanations were offered:

58 Not enough time to decide, scheduled for future discussion
29 Need more information or clarification
21 Concerns about tax burden on non-veterans
7 Board decided not to pursue at this time
7 Other

Reasons including

1. Law does not allow the District to amend the exemption once it is adopted. We want that option. (2 responses)
2. Tax exemptions already in place provide enough tax relief'
3. Concern about a shifting of burden from one taxpayer to another.
4. Data on the impact of the exemption has been presented to the BoE, but they have not pushed to have it added to the agenda for a formal vote. At the moment they are content to let the issue sit. (2 responses)
5. Public and board reaction was split 50-50.
6. Calculated effect on tax rate would add another 2 percent to tax rate increase of 4.49 percent. Concerned budget would get voted down. May pursue for next year as Property Tax Freeze rebate could soften the blow to local taxpayers.
   

Please note the laws of 2014 amended the law to allow school districts to revoke or amend the exemption once it is adopted, which is responsive to two of these comments.

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Over 220 respondents answered the following questions:

1. Has your board of education and school district adopted a resolution to provide the veterans exemptions authorized by Chapter 518 of the Laws of 2013?
2. If you answered no to question 1, what was the reason your board of education and school district did not approve a resolution on the veterans exemptions authorized by Chapter 518 of the Laws of 2013?
3. If your board of education and school district adopted a resolution to provide the real property tax exemptions provided by Chapter 518 of the laws of 2013, has your board of education and school district subsequently opted to discontinue such exemptions?
   

Background

Chapter 518 of the Laws of 2013 amended Real Property Tax Law section 458-a to allow qualified veterans of active military duty, the spouse of a veteran or the unremarried surviving spouse of a veteran to receive up to three possible exemptions from real property taxes. In the case of school districts, the exemptions are allowed provided the governing body, after public hearings, adopts a resolution providing for such exemptions. Section 458-A also authorized the taxing jurisdiction to reduce or increase the maximum allowable exemptions by adopting a local law. The law further provides for a taxing jurisdiction to opt out of the exemptions after having provided the exemptions.