Assembly SFY 2025-26 Proposed Budget Includes $38.5 Billion in School Aid

Speaker Carl Heastie and Education Committee Chair Michael Benedetto today announced the Assembly’s State Fiscal Year (SFY) 2025-26 Proposed Budget provides $38.5 billion in funding to the General Support for Public Schools (GSPS), a $2.7 billion increase from the 2024-25 school year (SY).

“This proposed budget makes it clear that the Assembly Majority is committed to providing our schools with the tools necessary to provide our children a world-class education,” said Speaker Heastie. “These investments are critical to ensuring all our students have the opportunity to grow and thrive within the classroom.”

“As a former teacher, I understand the difficulties our teachers and support staff are facing in classrooms across the state,” said Assemblymember Benedetto. “These investments will provide critical resources to our classrooms, allowing our schools the ability to continue providing educational opportunities for all students.”

The Assembly proposes $27 billion in Foundation Aid, a $2 billion increase over SY 2024-25. This increase makes changes to the Foundation Aid formula by:

• Updating the Regional Cost Index (RCI) to either be the greater of the 2006 index or the 2024 updated values for each of the nine regions;
• Increasing the English Language Learner Factor of the Pupil Needs Index from 0.5 to 0.65;
• Lowering the Income Wealth Index floor from 0.65 to 0 over three years; and
• Providing a minimum year over year increase in Foundation Aid of 2.9 percent.

The Assembly’s proposal also provides critical funding to prekindergarten programs to ensure all children are provided the resources needed to thrive with an additional $327 million for prekindergarten, $302 million to increase the minimum per pupil funding and $25 million for the Statewide Universal Full Day Prekindergarten (SUFDPK) grant.

The Assembly’s proposed budget also includes:

• $120 million for schools on Native American reservations;
• An additional $3.4 million for Schools for the Blind and Deaf (4201 schools), for a total of $116.8 million;
• $57.9 million to start increasing the salary cap aid for BOCES instructors;
• $16.8 million for Independent Living Centers;
• $9.8 million for Adult Literacy Education; and
• $2.3 million to implement changes for the Blue Ribbon Commission’s Graduation Measures.

The My Brother’s Keeper initiative seeks to engage with families and communities to provide professional, developmental and educational opportunities that seek to address issues related to restorative justice and racial disparities in education. In 2016, New York became the first state in the nation to provide funding to My Brother’s Keeper, and the Assembly seeks to provide an additional $2 million, for a total of $30 million in SFY 2025-26.

Universal School Lunch

The Assembly includes the Executive’s proposal to direct the State Education Department (SED) to require schools that participate in the national school lunch program to provide breakfast and lunch to students at no cost starting in July 2025. This proposal also requires schools to take initiative in maximizing federal funding for school meals.

New York State Museum

The Assembly proposes that $135 million in funding for the State Museum, Library and Archives, would be transferred from the Urban Development Corporation to the SED.

Additionally, the proposed budget includes the executive’s proposal to require the commissioner of Education to submit a report to the governor and Legislature containing data regarding the general operations of the New York State Museum with modifications to provide the SED more time to develop and produce the report.