Increases foundation aid for school districts that meet five variables impacting academic success: free or reduced lunch, English language learners, wealth ratio, enrollment, special education, and being located in a high wealth ratio county.
NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
BILL NUMBER: A103
SPONSOR: Sayegh TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the education law, in relation to increasing foundation
aid to school districts located in a high wealth ratio county that meet
five variables impacting academic success: free or reduced lunch,
English language learners, wealth ratio, enrollment, and special educa-
tion
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:
To generate additional Foundation Aid funding for high need school
districts in New York State that meets certain criteria.
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section 1 amends Section 3602 of the education law to address school
district funding inequity. Commencing with aid payable in the 2024-25
school year, the commissioner shall increase the amount of foundation
aid at a rate determined by the commissioner for school districts that
meet the following conditions and criteria: (1) Three year average free
and reduced lunch percent that is greater than two-thirds or sixty-seven
percent, (2) English Language Learner (ELL) count that totals above
thirteen percent of the entire school district population, (3) Combined
wealth ratio greater than seventy percent, (4) Increase in enrollment of
at least two percent since the two thousand twenty-one-two thousand
twenty-two school year, and (5) Special Education population that totals
above eight percent of the entire school district population.
Section 2 sets the effective date.
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ORIGINAL AND AMENDED VERSION (IF APPLICABLE):
N/A
JUSTIFICATION:
Tens of thousands of students in New York State attend schools which are
underfunded due to an antiquated funding formula that does not take into
account for discrepancies between the general wealth in a county and
specific communities. For instance, in the Yonkers City School District,
where over sixty-seven percent of students qualify for free and-reduced
lunch, the dominant factor in determining Foundation Aid funding is the
wealth in Westchester County. Westchester County is one of the most
affluent counties in New York State and the United States with a median
household income of $99,489, 39.9% above the state average and 53.1%
above the national average.
As a result, the Yonkers City School District can expect less than half
of the foundation aid which is granted to school districts that have
similar student populations in New York State. School Districts in other
counties can expect to receive thousands more per pupil than a district
like Yonkers despite having similar student populations under similar
socioeconomic conditions. This issue is consistent across different
types of school districts, including smaller more suburban school across
our State.
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
2019-20: A8700-Referred to Education
2021-22: A2514-Referred to Education
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS FOR STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS:
To be determined.
EFFECTIVE DATE:
April 1 succeeding the date on which it shall have become law.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
103
2023-2024 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY(Prefiled)
January 4, 2023
___________
Introduced by M. of A. SAYEGH, FORREST -- read once and referred to the
Committee on Education
AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to increasing foundation
aid to school districts located in a high wealth ratio county that
meet five variables impacting academic success: free or reduced lunch,
English language learners, wealth ratio, enrollment, and special
education
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. This act shall be known and may be cited as the "School aid
2 equity act".
3 § 2. Section 3602 of the education law is amended by adding a new
4 subdivision 42 to read as follows:
5 42. Foundation aid to address school district funding inequity.
6 Commencing with aid payable in the two thousand twenty-four--two thou-
7 sand twenty-five school year, the commissioner shall increase the amount
8 of foundation aid, at a rate determined by the commissioner, for school
9 districts that all of the following conditions and criteria apply:
10 a. a three-year average free and reduced price lunch percent greater
11 than two-thirds or sixty-seven percent (0.67);
12 b. an English language learner count that totals above thirteen
13 percent (0.13) of the entire school district population;
14 c. a combined wealth ratio greater than seven-tenths (0.7);
15 d. an increase in enrollment of at least two percent (0.02) since the
16 two thousand fifteen--two thousand sixteen school year; and
17 e. a special education count that totals above eight percent (0.08) of
18 the entire school district population.
19 Nothing in this subdivision shall reduce the amount of foundation aid
20 to any school district in which this subdivision's conditions and crite-
21 ria do not apply.
22 § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD01645-01-3
