Assemblymember Brindisi: It’s time to overhaul the state’s school aid formula

February 13, 2013

Assemblymember Anthony J. Brindisi (D-Utica) announced his sponsorship of legislation to overhaul the state’s school aid formula (A.4609). Named the “School Funding Equity Act,” the measure will amend several aspects of the school aid formula to benefit poorer school districts.

“Many Mohawk Valley school districts are not getting the aid they deserve simply because of the way the school aid formula has been manipulated over the years,” Assemblymember Brindisi said. “This legislation will amend the formula so that it is based on the actual needs of a school district.”

The legislation addresses several areas of the school aid formula as follows:

• allows for aid to be calculated based upon data within the last five years, helping school districts experiencing fluctuation in their communities;
• provides for accurate calculation of the average cost of general education instruction by utilizing spending data from all but the top 10 percent and bottom 10 percent schools;
• places more emphasis on the number of students that qualify for free and reduced school lunch;
• eliminates the provision that requires all school districts to receive a minimum amount of school aid;
• calls for the regional cost index in the formula to be updated to reflect current data;
• addresses arbitrary provisions in the funding formula that prevent the poorest schools from being compensated based upon their actual data; and
• eliminates automatic increases in aid to school districts that do not need those funds as indicated by the school aid formula.

“It is well past time we took these steps to ensure all our students receive the best education possible by restoring equity to our aid formula. The children of the Mohawk Valley deserve it,” Assemblymember Brindisi concluded.

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