Blog posts tagged with "Public Schools"

Needed Mandate Relief on the Way?

Nov 02, 2011

New York State imposes more than 200 special education mandates above and beyond those required by federal law.[1] Some were put in place to protect due process or guarantee timely services, while others limit class sizes and caseloads. All translate into higher costs and help fuel rapid spending growth.

What Concessions?

Aug 29, 2011

In the last two months, the Bloomberg Administration announced two agreements with municipal unions. These agreements have been heralded as union-labor compromises to prevent the planned layoff of more than 5,000 employees.

A Closer Look at School Aid Cuts

Apr 01, 2011

Today is April 1 and the State has a budget in place to begin the fiscal year, a relatively rare occurrence and a good one. Governor Cuomo and the legislative leaders deserve credit for crafting a budget that is not only on time but fiscally responsible as well.

State School Aid: The Neediest Districts Could Be Spared $750 million in Cuts through Better Targeted Reductions

Feb 28, 2011

School aid is the State’s largest expenditure item, comprising fully $21.2 billion or one-quarter of the State operating budget.[1] To help close a $10 billion gap in the coming year’s budget, Governor Andrew Cuomo proposed reducing school aid by nearly $1.7 billion to $19.5 billion.

School Districts Should Achieve Substantial Savings by Following State Practices for Employee Health Insurance Premiums

Feb 02, 2011

Governor Andrew Cuomo’s proposals to cap property taxes and reduce education aid mean that New York State’s 676 school districts will need to manage with fewer resources; their biggest challenge is to reduce spending without hurting services for the more than 2.7 million public school children.

Unavoidable School Aid Cuts: Do the Least Harm by Targeting

Mar 01, 2010

In early 2007 newly elected Governor Eliot Spitzer and the State Legislature responded to a court mandate to provide every child in New York with a sound basic education by adopting a plan to increase state school aid by about $7 billion over the next four years.