Governor Pataki’s final budget proposal makes it a perfect dozen – 12 consecutive budgets that shortchange our schools

The Assembly passed a budget resolution that provides a sound investment in our children’s future - increasing school aid by $790.5 million over 2004.

The Assembly and Senate have approved a budget to fund New York schools by an additional $740.4 million this year – the fourth highest increase in state history. The new budget will increase operating aid nearly $120 million, a 1.75 percent minimum increase for every school district in the state.

The Assembly rejected the governor’s legislation and has called on the Senate to meet in public conference committees to negotiate a solution that will provide all of New York’s children with an education that will allow them to compete for the jobs of tomorrow.

The Assembly stands ready to meet in an open forum with the governor and the Senate to reach an agreement on a plan that will provide each and every New York child with a sound, basic education.

The Assembly recently released a plan to help ensure that every school district in the state receives the resources it needs to provide a quality education. It’s also the only plan to meet the mandates set by the Campaign for Fiscal Equity’s court ruling.

The report pointed out that the Assembly approach creates a formula to address the cost of providing a sound basic education; it provides an increase of $6.1 billion in State funding in order to provide all children with the opportunity for a sound basic education to be phased in over a five-year period.

Governor’s missed deadlines mean missed opportunities, The consequences of continued delay are serious.

The Assembly proposes a common sense solution to provide schools with the resources they need to plan ahead for the first time.

Details lacking on plan to comply with CFE decision, budget shortchanges schools $304 million

Provides for the annual calculation of public excess cost aid to school districts; allows public excess cost aid for pupils with handicapping conditions to be received by schools in the current year.

Directs that unclaimed or abandoned lottery prizes be used to make state aid payments due for prior years to public schools and deletes provisions allocating such funds to be used for payment of special lotto prizes.

Provides for the annual calculation of public excess cost aid to school districts; allows public excess cost aid for pupils with handicapping conditions to be received by schools in the current year.

Implements the "Schools for New York`s Future Act"; relates to the calculation and payment of sound basic education (SBE) state aid; provides for accountability in the context of the public education system; implements the "building requires immediate capital for kids" (BRICKS) initiative; also relates to public school districts and dormitory authority financing of eligible school district projects.

Provides for increased school aid in cities of less than one hundred twenty-five thousand inhabitants for the 2005-2006 school year.

Requires appropriate maintenance of city funding for certain fiscally dependent large city school districts in order to preclude the replacement of local funds by state aid revenues intended to increase support for education.

Allows for differential salary adjustment aid to certain school districts which are required by law to absorb teachers when a school district takes back tuition students from another district; provides that such amount be equal to the difference between the salary and benefits of each teacher absorbed from the receiving school district and $30,000.

Requires school aid for small city school districts to be provided on a per-student basis.

Adds a regional cost of living factor to state aid to schools formula providing school districts eligibility for apportionment related thereto; provides formula therefor; a school district shall be deemed to be in the region in which a majority of its students reside.

Provides that all state textbook aid be paid from the New York state lottery for education fund; phases in reapportionment of such funding.