Report: Most NY schools could cover aid cuts

New York state Education Department records indicate as many as 74 percent of school districts outside New York City appear to have enough money squirreled away to pay for the historic state aid cuts proposed by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo.

The report supports Cuomo’s effort to cut state school aid by 7.3 percent from the current level. Cuomo has said the cut should be an incentive for schools to cut waste and inefficiencies.

But school aid advocates say the cut will force thousands of teacher layoffs, larger class sizes and increase local property taxes.

A school boards group says its analysis shows the vast majority of schools don’t have sufficient reserves to cover the loss of aid.