School cuts called ‘catastrophic’
1 in 4 districts won’t be able to pay bills if steep aid reductions continue
New York’s more than 700 public schools face a threat of irreparable harm from the onetwo punch of sharp cuts in state aid and pandemic-related expenses, according to new analysis from the New York State School Boards Association (NYSSBA) and the Association of School Business Officials of New York (ASBO).
The report, titled “The Lost Generation,” is based on a survey of school business officials that suggests multiyear state aid reductions would leave nearly four in 10 school districts financially insolvent or unable to provide a sound, basic education to students.
“The consequences of a three-year period of sustained education cuts are potentially catastrophic for public education in New York,” NYSSBA Executive Director Robert Schneider said in a statement. “Federal stimulus funds would help stave off painful cuts, but lawmakers in Washington have yet to provide additional education funding despite the crying need — and there is no telling how many young people will
miss out on their constitutional right to sound public education and on the opportunities to build meaningful lives and careers as adults.”
Some 25 percent of school districts responding to the survey would be unable to pay their bills if the state cuts public education funding by 20 percent this year and the reductions continue for the next two to three years.
Another 13 percent of school districts would become educationally insolvent, meaning they would be unable to provide legally required educational programs.
Approximately 64 percent of districts would need to make noninstructional staffing reductions in 2020-21 and 60 percent of districts would need to make cuts to instructional staff, according to the analysis.
“Public schools stand at the brink of a fiscal cliff. Federal action is critically needed to prevent significant midyear cuts that would devastate public education for a generation,” said Andrew Van Alstyne, director of education and research for ASBO New York.
In the Capital Region, the cuts disproportionately impact high need city schools that are more reliant on state aid to pay employees and operate buildings. In Albany and Schenectady districts alone, more than 700 teachers, administrators, and support staff have lost their jobs.
If districts ultimately receive just 80 cents per state aid dollar they built into their budgets for this 2020-21 school year, most business officials — 79 percent — said their districts would dig deeper into fund balances to cover their costs. Many districts have also reduced athletics and other activities to cut costs, according to the report.
State revenue declines have resulted in the withholding of state aid for July and August, and the state Division of Budget has not indicated how long the flat 20 percent reductions would continue.
A Division of Budget spokesman has said that the state would take into account district need when determining aid cuts in the future if the federal government does not pass a stimulus package.
School officials report spending an average of $219 more per student for pandemic-related expenses like masks, cleaning supplies and digital technology. Reopening school buildings this year has cost districts an average of $500,000, according to the report.