Nassau educators: LI getting shortchanged in governor's proposed budget
Long Island enrolls 17% of the state's schoolchildren, while receiving only 12% of state educational funding, and Albany needs to address that imbalance, local school officials said Friday.
The issue of funding disparities is intensifying this year, because Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo is calling for a smaller statewide school-aid hike than last year's as he deals with a budget crunch. Under law, the State Legislature is due to adopt a final budget, including a school-aid package, by April 1.
Nearly 200 school administrators, board trustees and others meeting in Westbury on Friday morning heard speaker after speaker drive home the importance of lobbying for increased state money. The annual "financial forum" was sponsored by the Nassau County Council of School Superintendents and hosted by the East Meadow district.
"That 5% gap is huge," said the leadoff speaker, Joseph Famularo, superintendent of Bellmore schools and co-chair of the council's legislation committee. He referred to the numerical disparity in the region's enrollment and aid allotments.
Suffolk educators held their regional meeting on school aid Feb. 1.
Historically, the Island's smaller portion of state funding has been determined by the region's greater comparative wealth. But local educators contend the situation is changing, as the Nassau-Suffolk area absorbs greater numbers of students speaking limited English or living in poverty.
Another speaker at the Nassau conference, William Johnson, the Rockville Centre schools chief, presented data showing the Island's overall school population is growing, relative to the rest of the state.
Between this year and last, Johnson pointed out, enrollment here has grown 1.2% overall, with a 3.5% rise in Nassau County. New York City, meanwhile, has recorded a 1% loss in students, while the rest of the state has lost 1.6%, according to the presentation.
"Essentially, when we talk about wealth and need, as we've heard before many, many times in many different arenas, we are developing on Long Island a very different demographic," Johnson said.
"Why should we be treated differently than the rest of the state — we shouldn't," Johnson added.
In response, a spokesman for the state budget division, Freeman Klopott, noted that New York spends more per-student than any state, and Long Island alone would receive nearly $3.4 billion in aid during the 2020-21 fiscal year, under the governor's proposal.
"We are focused on making sure all of New York's students have access to a high-quality education," Klopott said.
Still, Cuomo's package has its limits.
The Association of State Business Officials New York, representing more than 2,500 school administrators, reported recently that a $578.5 million statewide increase in “formula” aid recommended for 2020-21 was the smallest since 2013-14. Public schools on Long Island would receive a total hike of just over $76.8 million under the plan.
Formula aid is divided among districts according to a variety of factors, including student poverty rates and the amounts schools spend on busing, special education and other programs. The largest aid category is based on a "foundation" formula that funnels a larger share of money to poorer systems.
Association analysts noted Cuomo's proposed budget also includes $200 million labeled as "targeted aid" that has not yet been split among districts. The assumption, they said, is that this money will be added to districts' overall allowances, once the governor and legislative leaders hammer out a final agreement.
Cuomo has called for an overall increase in state assistance to schools of $826 million, or 3%, including formula aid. That's down from the $1 billion, 3.6% hike he proposed last year. The governor also has suggested that the state distribute money more equitably between districts rich and poor.
John Hildebrand is Newsday's senior education writer and has covered school news and policy issues affecting Long Island for more than 40 years.
