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Meeting of the Board of Regents | September 2003

Monday, September 1, 2003 - 7:00am

Assessing Progress

Five Years of Regents School Aid Proposals

and Legislative Action

Discussion Materials

The Regents have emphasized the importance of targeting more resources to high need school districts to assist them in closing the student achievement gap. Table 1 shows the amount and percent of the increase in aid that the Regents recommended for high need school districts in each of the past five years. It shows the amount and percent of the increase that the State enacted each year as well.

 

Table 1 shows that the Regents have consistently recommended that the majority of the aid increase be targeted to high need school districts and the Legislature has responded in kind. The exception to this is for the 2003-04 school year, when the State budget deficit resulted in a decrease of $207 million for school districts. In the case of a cut, it is more advantageous to have a lower percentage share. High need and other school districts split the cut almost equally with 49 percent of the cut borne by high need school districts.

Table 2 shows over the past five years, the percent and dollar change in aid for each category of aid. Six aids accounted for 90 percent of the increased school aid during this period: Comprehensive Operating Aid, Public Excess Cost Aid for the education of students with disabilities in public schools and BOCES, school Transportation Aid, Building Aid for school construction, Universal Pre-kindergarten grants (including a reserve fund to allow school districts to draw on these funds as needed), and BOCES Aid for school district shared services.

Table 2. Where the Money Went: 1999-00 to 2003-04

Aid Category

Percent Change

$ Change

Biggest Dollar Increase:

(Comprehensive) Operating

Tax Effort

Tax Equalization

Transition Adj Positive

Transition Adj Negative

Gifted/Talented

Operating Standards

Academic Support

Sum of Above Aids

7.1%

455,132,470

Excess Cost-Public

25.1%

432,847,717

Transportation

35.0%

282,237,045

Building

28.9%

268,537,091

LADDER Aids:

Univ Pre-K Grant Incl Reserve

145.0%

121,138,278

Class Size Reduction Grant

92.0%

67,054,871

Textbook

23.9%

36,635,648

Software

106.9%

23,809,583

Hardware

56.2%

10,198,215

Tax Limitation Aid

19.8%

4,955,267

Maintenance/Repair Aid

0.0%

7,340

Full Day K Conversion

-8.1%

-560,509

Shared Services-Non-Component

-100.0%

-9,999,920

Instructional Computer Technology

-100.0%

-25,242,995

GAP Aids:

Extraordinary Needs

5.9%

39,076,247

Summer School Program

na

36,513,207

Limited English Proficiency

27.5%

18,669,401

Supporting Students with Disabilities:

Excess Cost-Private

36.6%

51,164,245

Educationally Related Support Services

10.3%

6,767,382

BOCES/Career and Technical Education:

BOCES

23.0%

97,598,756

SS-Computer Administration

-3.8%

-1,505,103

SS-Career Education

-13.4%

-13,079,838

Other Aids:

Summer Transportation

na

4,999,894

Building Aid/Capital Outlay Trnstn Grant

na

3,466,221

Library Materials

4.6%

847,197

Teacher Support Aid

0.0%

0

Small Cities Aid

0.0%

0

Growth

-10.4%

-3,352,517

Reorg Incentive - Bldg

-23.7%

-4,055,736

Reorg Incentive - Oper

-31.1%

-7,912,637

Grants:

Small Cities Grant

na

0

AI/DP Grant

-100.0%

-757,100

Categorical Reading Grant

0.0%

0

Magnet School Grant

0.5%

678,000

IPP Grant

0.0%

0

Fort Drum Grant

0.0%

0

SUBTOTAL:

15.4%

1,895,867,720

Rescue II Aid - $50 m

na

Rescue I Aid - $145 m

na

Transition Grant - DASNY

na

TOTAL:

14.9%

1,847,555,966