Latest news with #FoundationAid
New York Post
06-08-2025
- Politics
- New York Post
Mamdani vows to declare war against charter schools if electioned mayor, survey reveals
Socialist Zohran Mamdani plans to declare war on charter schools if he's elected mayor, according to a survey he answered — sparking outrage from advocates and parents who called the frontrunner candidate's views 'very misguided.' The 33-year-old Queens assemblyman said he would fight efforts to open more charters, which largely educate minority, working-class students, and even opposed the schools sharing space in city-owned buildings. 'I oppose efforts by the state to mandate an expansion of charter school operations in New York City,' he said in a Staten Island Advance questionnaire before the June 24 Democratic primary. Advertisement 4 Socialist Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani plans to declare war against charter schools that largely educate minority students if he's elected mayor, according to a survey he answered. REUTERS Mamdani's hostility to charter schools, which are privately-run, publicly funded — puts him in sync with the United Federation of Teachers union, which endorsed him in the November general election following his primary victory over ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo and others. But charter school parents and operators suggested Mamdani was deviating from his affordability agenda — touting he'll choke off classrooms that educate mostly black and Latino students from working class and low-income neighborhoods he claims to be championing. Advertisement 'I don't understand why Mamdani would be hostile to charter schools. I think he's very misinformed,' said mom Arlene Rosado, whose son, Mano, is a tenth-grader at the Nuasin Next Generation K-12 charter school in The Bronx. Rosado transferred her son there because he was getting bullied at the traditional neighborhood public school, and she said he is now safe and not getting picked on. 'Charter schools are helping kids in the community. You should always have a choice. Taking that choice away is not cool,' Rosado told The Post. The Rev. Raymond Rivera — founder of the Family Life Academy charter school network in The Bronx — said that Mamdani must support charter schools if he really cares about kids of color. Advertisement 4 A Staten Island Advance questionnaire has the 33-year-old Queens assemblyman saying, 'I oppose efforts by the state to mandate an expansion of charter school operations in New York City.' Stephen Yang 'Ninety five percent of children in our charter schools are students of color,' he told The Post. 'We believe our parents should have a choice.' Mamdani, in the SI Advance questionnaire, vowed to audit charter schools that are co-located in city Department of Education buildings, suggesting they received too much public funding. 'I also oppose the co-locating of charter schools inside DOE school buildings, but for those already co-located my administration would undertake a comprehensive review of charter school funding to address the unevenness of our system,' the survey said. Advertisement 'Matching funds, overcharged rent, and Foundation Aid funding would be part of this audit as my administration determined how to manage the reality of co-located schools and legal entitlements,' Mamdani claimed. 4 Mamdani's public view on charter schools strikes a similar viewpoint of the United Federation of Teachers union, which has endorsed him for mayor in the upcoming November general election. Stephen Yang It's not the only controversial part of his education platform — which also includes wanting to cede the mayor's control over the nation's largest school system. Charter school advocates said Mamdani was a foe, not an ally, during his four years in the state Assembly. 'As a member of the Assembly, Mr. Mamdani has made clear that he was not supportive of charter schools or even the families that chose them, but he has recently and repeatedly said he would be a mayor for all New Yorkers — and that, of course, has to include the nearly 150,000 charter school students and their families,' said NYC Charter School Center CEO James Merriman. Merriman said he wants to meet Mamdani's team to correct 'misinformation' about the charter school sector. 4 The Democratic nominee's viewpoints on charter schools are a controversial part of his platform, while advocates call out Mamdani for being a foe to the charter school system during his time in the state Assembly. Stephen Yang Arthur Samuels, executive director of the Math, Engineering, and Science Academy (MESA) Charter High School, argued charter schools are serving Mamdani's affordability mission by providing a free education to struggling families who can't afford to pay private tuition or move to the suburbs. Advertisement 'I can't think of anything more empowering to those families than providing choice and agency,' said Samuels, who is opening a second MESA charter school in Dyker Heights this fall. There are 286 charter schools in the city serving about 150,000 students, or 15 of publicly-funded schools. Students in charter schools typically outperform their counterparts in traditional schools on the state's English Language Arts and math standardized exams. Most charters have a longer school day and school year than traditional schools, and their teaching staff are non-union. Advertisement Last year, 58.2% of charter students scored proficient on the ELA test — 9.1 percentage points higher than their district counterparts, 49.1%. Meanwhile, 66.3% of charter students passed the math test, compared to 53.4% of traditional public school students. — a near 13-percentage-point gap. Former Mayor Bill de Blasio sought to stymie the charter school sector. But a state law approved by then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo and the legislature forced the city to provide space to charter schools or pay their rent to operate in a private building. The current Democratic-run legislature has opposed charter school expansion.
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Mount Vernon names new schools superintendent; last one accused of misconduct, forced out
Mount Vernon's school board unanimously appointed a new superintendent, Demario A. Strickland, at a May 14 special meeting. Strickland, who is currently interim superintendent of the Rochester City School District, is expected to start in the district July 1. Strickland, 40, joins the district as challenges loom. Mount Vernon has seen declining enrollment over the last decade. The district is expected to see a scant 2% increase in state Foundation Aid despite serving a high-needs population. Mount Vernon on May 20 proposed a $272.2 million budget that would increase the tax levy by 3.3%. In his first communication with district residents, Strickland said, 'As the new superintendent, I would like to encourage everyone to come out to vote.' Amid financial strains, district officials in April revealed that 84 teachers, teaching assistants and administrators would be laid off this summer, along with 40 civil-service employees. Mount Vernon in 2024 was labeled a district in "significant financial stress" by the state Comptroller's Office. About 73% of students were considered economically disadvantaged and 12% were homeless in 2023-24, according to state Education Department data. About 93% of the district's approximately 6,500 students are Black or Latino. Meanwhile, Mount Vernon's last permanent superintendent, Waveline Bennett-Conroy, had been formally suspended in 2024 by the district amid accusations of misconduct. But the district still ended up forking out tens of thousands of dollars in pay to her. Bennett-Conroy's contract expires June 30. Mount Vernon announced this year that three K-8 campuses would be closed over the summer because of declining enrollment and financial difficulties. In Rochester, Strickland oversaw a school reconfiguration plan that had been laid out by the previous superintendent. Mount Vernon Board of Education President Adriane Saunders said in a May 14 statement that Strickland was "uniquely qualified" because of his experience in urban-based schools and "his ability to create positive outcomes for students." K. Veronica Smith, named Mount Vernon acting superintendent in February 2023, said she was looking forward to collaborating with Strickland. 'He has the experience and accomplishments to continue doing great work in Mount Vernon.' Strickland has a doctorate in educational leadership and master's degrees in administration & supervision; curriculum and teaching; and school district leadership. He was named acting superintendent for the Rochester city schools in 2024 and had been deputy superintendent. He had also been an administrator in the Buffalo Public Schools, a dean of students in New York City and a teacher in New York City. 'I'm very much about student outcomes," Strickland said in a district-issued statement. "Are students safe? Are they feeling seen, affirmed and valued when they come into our schools? Are teachers equipped with a guaranteed and viable curriculum that will help them be able to plan and educate our students to the greatest ability they can? I want to make sure that ZIP code doesn't define what our students are capable of.' This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Mount Vernon names new schools superintendent from Rochester, New York
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Yahoo
Lewis County crash claims life of driver
TOWN OF TURIN, N.Y. (WWTI) – A Monday afternoon crash in Lewis County has claimed the life of one person. According to the Lewis County Sheriff's Office, a 1988 Ford dump truck operated by 49-year-old David Kantor was traveling eastbound of Lyman Road. Authorities said that Lyman failed to negotiate a curve in the roadway. New York State budget tweaks Foundation Aid formula The dump truck then struck a parked trailer and an excavator located on the Gomer Hill Road. Kantor was transported to a nearby landing zone and where airlifted to SUNY Upstate Medical Center in Syracuse. However, he later died as a result of his injuries. The investigation is currently ongoing to Sheriff's officials. The New York State Collision Reconstruction Unit and Commercial Vehicle Unit, Lyons Falls Ambulance, Turin Fire Department, Town of Turin Highway Department and Groff's Towing all assisted on the scene. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
New York Post
09-05-2025
- Business
- New York Post
Long Island schools score $270M state-aid boost— but homeowners still drowning in some of highest property taxes in US
Long Island schools are set to receive more than $270 million in extra state aid for the next year — a 5.4% jump over last year — but local homeowners will still be drowning from some of the highest property taxes in the US. Albany's new budget allocates a record $37 billion in school funding statewide. The pact also tacks on free school breakfast and lunch for all students regardless of income and implements a statewide classroom smartphone ban starting this fall. Advertisement Long Island schools will receive over $270 million in extra state aid for 2026 — a 5.4% jump over last year. Darren McGee/Office of Governor Kathy Hochul 'This represents one of the largest statewide school aid increases since the Foundation Aid formula was established in 2007,' the New York School Board Association said in a statement, referring to the state's attempt to more equitably distribute money to needy districts. Nassau schools will be divvying up an extra $123 million — a 6% jump for the county — bringing the total amount of state funds to nearly $2.15 billion for next year. Advertisement Suffolk will see a roughly similar 5% increase with an extra nearly $150 million to bring their total state aid to more than $3 billion. The vast majority of Long Island school districts — 108 out of 124 — are in line for a boost in state aid under Albany's new budget. While most of their increases are going to be relatively small, a handful of districts will see major gains, including Elmont and Deer Park with 13% jumps, as well as Hempstead and Middle Country at nearly 11% rises. But because the budget was more than 30 days late in being passed, combined with state laws requiring districts to complete their budget proposals for next year by April 25, Long Island homeowners will not see a decrease in their property taxes, which rank among the highest in the nation, at least this year. Advertisement The new Albany budget is allocating a record $37 billion in school funding across New York state. jrossphoto – Property taxes in both counties have ballooned in the past decade despite state aid now covering a much larger share of Long Island's school funding than it did a decade ago, rising roughly $2.5 billion from about 21% in 2015-16 to nearly 32% this school year, according to Newsday. Gov. Kathy Hochul told homeowners in Long Island last week that relief was coming and was included in the budget — promising that roughly 80% of New Yorkers will see their taxes go down while also receiving inflation checks and tax credits for children. 'Your family is my fight,' Hochul told reporters outside of a Copiague home.
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
New formula for N.Y. State education aid turns out to be bad news for NYC
A revised formula doling out $26.4 billion to New York school districts that public education advocates had been lobbying for will, as it turns out, deliver hundreds of millions less to New York City than had the old formula remained intact. The new plan, passed Thursday by state lawmakers, was supposed to be a welcome development, as the past two schools chancellors and their backers had long been pushing for reforms to the state's per-pupil funding, known as Foundation Aid. But in a twist, the deal reached between Gov. Hochul and the Legislature will leave a gaping hole between what the city expected and what it ultimately receives. An earlier estimate projected the difference at about $350 million. All in all, though, the budget agreement still results in an overall Foundation Aid increase of about 5% for the city's public schools, according to the governor's office. 'While an overhaul of the outdated formula is sorely needed, the limited changes make matters worse — shortchanging NYC students as a result,' Kim Sweet, executive director of Advocates for Children, said in a statement. The budget bill updated the formula's poverty weight by replacing decades-old census data with a new metric known as Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, or 'SAIPE.' It also substitutes school lunch eligibility with a broader category of 'economically disadvantaged' students. 'We're not using the old data that was used before because it was leading to unfair outcomes,' Hochul said at a media gathering earlier this week. 'We're going to be using the most up-to-date poverty estimates. That'll be the major change.' Both changes were first proposed by the governor in January. But the Adams administration warned of the $350 million gap, in part because the federal guidelines for poverty do not account for the local cost of living. City Hall and the Education Department did not return a request for comment on Thursday afternoon. 'I'm not going to argue for the old way of counting [poverty], because it was based on the 2000 census. So yes, we should do away with relying on data from the 2000 census,' said Michael Rebell, executive director of the Center for Educational Equity at Columbia University Teachers College, who was an attorney in the landmark school funding lawsuit that prompted the Foundation Aid formula. Rebell added that an index that better accounts for the regional costs in New York City could have helped offset the difference. But ultimately, lawmakers only updated the measure for Westchester County. 'That's why I say do the whole formula. You don't do it piecemeal,' Rebell said. The plan also expands the weight for students learning the English language, restoring an estimated $30 million — though that is far short of the $350 million and a recent proposal by the Assembly, according to estimates by Advocates for Children. 'You're going to have people who see the glass as half full and as half empty. On the one hand, it's a significant amount less than what New York City schools would've received under the old Foundation Aid,' said Sen. John Liu (D-Queens), chairman of the Education Committee. 'On the other hand, it is about $540 million more than last year.' Asked which camp he falls in, Liu said: 'I'm happy that we were able to get a substantial amount more money for New York City public schools.' Rebell and Liu both agree that more changes are needed. Rebell is working on a new funding formula, while Liu is pushing for further reforms: 'We all understood that the Foundation Aid formula, which is almost 20 years old, at this point requires updates and possible overhauls. I think the executive budget and enacted budget did not go far enough in truly updating the formula,' the senator said. Apart from Foundation Aid, the budget also finalized changes to the educational standards for religious schools, such as yeshivas, including pushing back the timeline of real consequences for not providing basic instruction in subjects such as reading and math. It also signed into law a new school cell phone ban, with a $13.5 million state investment to assist with implementation.
