New York State’s Enacted State Fiscal Year 2024-25 Budget called for the Rockefeller Institute to conduct a study to assess the State’s Foundation Aid education funding formula and discuss potential modifications to how the formula works.
As part of the study, researchers at the Rockefeller Institute collected feedback from the public and education stakeholders, including school families, teachers, staff, administrators, school boards, appointed and elected officials, education researchers and experts, and education-focused support and advocacy organizations.
Stakeholders could share input on the Foundation Aid formula in two ways:
Please note that the public hearings process is concluded following the completion of the fifth public hearing in Guilderland on August 14th.
This summer, the Rockefeller Institute hosted five public hearings, with the generous support of local school districts across the state. The purpose of the hearings was to allow Rockefeller Institute researchers to listen directly to the education community and to record verbal feedback from a range of education stakeholders.
| Date | Location | Region | Address |
| July 16, 2024 | Manhattan | New York City | High School of Fashion Industries, 225 W 24th St, New York, NY 10011 |
| July 25, 2024 | Buffalo | Western New York | North Park Community School, 780 Parkside Avenue, Buffalo, NY 14216 |
| July 30, 2024 | Farmingdale | Long Island | Weldon E. Howitt Middle School, 50 Vancott Ave, Farmingdale, NY 11735 |
| August 8, 2024 | Laurens | Central New York | Laurens Central School, 55 Main St, Laurens, NY 13796 |
| August 14, 2024 | Guilderland | Capital Region | Guilderland High School, 8 School Road, Guilderland Center, NY 12085 |
| *** For all hearings, invited stakeholder testimony will begin at 2:00 p.m. and public comment for registered speakers will begin at 5:30 p.m. | |||
Members of the education community were invited and encouraged to attend a hearing and provide input on potential changes to the Foundation Aid formula through public comment.
Please note that the written comment submission form is now closed.
Education stakeholders across New York State were also encouraged to share input on potential changes to the Foundation Aid formula through the submission of written comments.
Through Friday, September 6, 2024, at 11:59 pm (EST), interested members of the public could submit written feedback on the Foundation Aid formula online via the Written Comment Submission Form.
The Rockefeller Institute will review all verbal and written comments from stakeholders that are collected at the public hearings and via the online Written Comment Submission Form. This feedback will be incorporated into the Foundation Aid formula study and will be used to inform the Institute’s final report on findings and discussion of policy options, which will be presented to the Governor, the Temporary President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the Assembly in early December 2024.
Have a question? You can reach a member of our team at events@rock.suny.edu.
The Foundation Aid formula is the current method used by New York State to allocate a large proportion of State education resources to school districts. It was created in 2007 to consolidate thirty separate school aid programs into one formula, and to then distribute funds based on specific information about each school district, including enrollment, student demographics and needs, expected local contribution, and other factors. For additional detail about the Foundation Aid formula, please see the State Aid Primer and State Aid Handbook, which are published annually by the New York State Education Department.
The current Foundation Aid formula was used as part of New York State’s Enacted State Fiscal Year 2024-25 Budget to allocate more than $24.9 billion in state education funding to local school districts, as part of the overall $35.9 billion State education funding package.
In some cases, the current formula incorporates old or outdated data and statistics. For example, student poverty rates in each school district are currently measured based on data from the 2000 US Census, and the labor costs in the formula are based on information from 2007.
Researchers at the Rockefeller Institute are currently in the listening, learning, and data collection phase of this study. They are continuously gathering feedback from a diverse community of education experts and stakeholders on potential revisions to the current Foundation Aid formula through meetings, in public hearings, and through the online Written Comment Submission Form. This feedback will help inform the Institute’s final report.
The purpose of the five scheduled public hearings—one each in school districts in New York City (Manhattan), Western New York (Buffalo), Long Island (Farmingdale), Central New York (Laurens), and the Capital Region (Guilderland)—is to allow the Rockefeller Institute to hear ideas for reform directly from members of the education community to help inform the research being conducted. All public testimony presented at the hearings will be recorded and transcribed.
The Rockefeller Institute strongly encourages members of the education community and other stakeholders to share their input on potential changes to the Foundation Aid formula. The Rockefeller Institute wants to hear from a range of community members who have diverse and informed perspectives. All written and verbal feedback collected will be thoroughly reviewed and considered as the Institute works to analyze all available information to prepare its final report.
The Rockefeller Institute will be livestreaming each of the public hearings. As links for those streams become available they will be posted on the pages for each public hearing.
