October 4, 2004. This new report by the Public Policy and Education Fund (PPEF) shows that little if any progress was made in 2004 and 2005 with respect toward one of the most critical issues facing New York’s educational system: the failure to adequately tie state school aid funding levels to student needs and district funding capacity.
The report debunks several of the myths surrounding the educational funding reform movement. In contrast to what some may say – that only a small number of districts would benefit from funding reform – the analysis shows that 55 of the 57 counties in the state, as well as New York City, would have received more state education funding if the CFE Plan had been enacted than they actually received in 2004-2005.
This report is third in a series of reports that analyze the impact of state policy decisions on school districts and school children across the State of New York. (See the State of Our Schools and the State of Our Schools Part 2, both from 2002.) The report was written by Bob Cohen of PPEF based on data, tables, and charts provided by Frank Mauro of FPI. Both PPEF and FPI are members of the Alliance for Quality Education.