Dec. 30, 2011—The Statewide School Finance Consortium (SSFC), a New York coalition representing over half of the state's public school systems, has issued a report that addresses long-standing disparities in state education aid funding. Download the complete report (PDF).

Among the report's conclusions:

• With no changes in the state aid formula, an estimated 100 to 150 school districts will not have sufficient revenue or cash reserves to sustain themselves and will therefore face the prospect of financial insolvency within the next one to two years.

• Under the new Tax Cap law, wealthier school districts that are less dependent on state aid will be able to raise more money than less wealthy districts. Attaining a 60 percent supermajority to go above the "tax levy limit" mandated in the new law will likely be unrealistic in these communities, which will force schools to continue an unsustainable process of further cuts to staff and program and use of reserves to stay in operation.

• Unfair distribution of state aid IS NOT an "Upstate vs. Downstate" issue. It's an issue ripe for reform. More than 30 Downstate school districts with similar wealth and poverty make-up face the same grim outlook as SSFC member districts.

"At the end of the day, the conclusions we reached in our report cry out for one thing - fairness," said SSFC Executive Director Dr. Rick Timbs. "Is it fair that children in New York will have significantly fewer educational opportunities only because they live in a less wealthy or poor community? Aren't these all our children? Don't they all deserve the same chance?"

The Statewide School Finance Consortium (SSFC) is an organization of nearly 360 New York public school districts whose mission is to bring equity to the distribution of New York State educational aid. SSFC membership is largely comprised of school districts from average and low-wealth communities that receive a disproportionate share of state funding in comparison to high-wealth regions of New York. Please visit SSFC at www.statewideonline.org.

[News Archives]