October 12, 2021 (Albany, NY) – In exciting and ground-breaking news, Governor Hochul and the Legislature just announced today that NYS has reached an agreement to settle and discontinue the New Yorkers for Students’ Educational Rights v. New York State case, following through on the State’s commitment to fully fund the current Foundation Aid formula to school districts over three years and ending the State’s prior opposition to providing this much-needed funding to our students.
“Today is a great day for students and schools,” offered NYS PTA President Dana Platin. As a school-related professional in a Kindergarten classroom, and on behalf of the parents and families of our state’s 2.6 million public school children – thank you. This infusion of needed resources and commitment to fund our schools will greatly and positively impact our children. Schools will now be able to make real investments in services and learning for our students.”
The litigation, in which NYS PTA was a plaintiff, has been ongoing since 2014 and sought to require NYS to fully fund the Foundation Aid formula.
“As a school law attorney representing NYS PTA as plaintiffs in this litigation, I am personally and professionally thrilled to see Governor Hochul and our Legislature fully fund our schools and keep the promise of CFE,” offered Kyle Belokopitsky, Esq., NYS PTA Executive Director. “This historic day is a TRUE win for students, and a testament to education advocates and stakeholders who have been working on this issue for decades. We thank lead attorney Michael Rebell and his team for their tireless work in supporting students.”
“Every single New Yorker deserves a quality education to succeed in our state, and public schools are a vital component of that opportunity for our children’s upward mobility,” Governor Hochul said in her Gubernatorial release. “This settlement closes a long chapter of inequity, and demonstrates my administration’s commitment to wiping the slate clean and fully funding public education using a responsive model that takes districts’ unique needs into account. Actions are more important than words, and while the settlement is the first step, we’re following through with funding in the state’s budget. The future of our state depends on our ability to properly educate each child, and Foundation Aid will apply a critical lens to address inequities and ensure schools in need receive the funding they deserve.”
A breakdown of currently anticipated Foundation Aid funding is available below:
- Fiscal Year 2022: $19.8 billion, covering 30% of the existing shortfall
- Fiscal Year 2023: Approximately $21.3 billion, covering 50% of the anticipated shortfall
- Fiscal Year 2024: Approximately $23.2 billion, eliminating the anticipated shortfall, and funding the full amount of Foundation Aid for all school districts
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The NYS Congress of Parents and Teachers, Inc. (NYS PTA) is honored to represent the families of our 2.6 million school children and our nearly 300,000 members, parents, families, and educators. It is our mission to make every child’s potential a reality and support EVERY child with ONE voice. www.nyspta.org