Topics Education
Does New York Spend More Per Public School Student Than Any Other State?

New York school districts are budgeted to spend $89 billion on public education in the 2024–25 school year.

Ferdi Ferhat Özsoy   ·   August 6, 2025
Arcane Accounting Rule Is Draining Millions From New York Classrooms

There are nearly 4,000 outstanding claims currently in a queue that stretches back more than a decade.

Bianca Fortis   ·   May 13, 2025
Albany’s Blueprint for Schools: Cell‑Free Halls, Looser Yeshiva Rules, New Aid Math

Hochul’s budget includes $37 billion for education, but the state Education Department is slamming one policy change as “educational malpractice” and a political retreat.

Bianca Fortis   ·   May 9, 2025
A school corridor lined with yellow lockers is distorted as though underwater.
New York’s School Districts Are Shrinking — But Their Financial Problems Are Growing

New York’s comptroller has flagged 22 school districts as fiscally stressed — up sharply from last year.

Bianca Fortis   ·   May 2, 2025
Phantom Bill Targeting Education Rules Triggers Sharp Backlash in Statehouse

No lawmaker will take credit for the proposal, but its quiet circulation has sparked fierce debate over state control of religious education.

Bianca Fortis   ·   April 10, 2025
Bill to Loosen Education Standards Quietly Circulates in Albany

Yeshivas and other nonpublic schools face a looming deadline to prove they offer an education similar to the state’s public schools. A proposed bill would loosen those rules and potentially delay the deadline.

Bianca Fortis   ·   April 3, 2025
St. Regis Mohawk School at Risk as State Funding Falls Short

Governor Hochul’s budget allocates only a fraction of what the state Board of Regents suggested for three state-owned Indigenous schools.

Bianca Fortis   ·   March 30, 2025
New York’s Teacher Misconduct Cases Face Years-Long Delays, Leaving Students in Limbo

A New York Focus investigation finds that the state can take up to seven years to resolve complaints against educators.

Bianca Fortis   ·   March 26, 2025
Lawmakers Push for Fairer School Funding, Higher Aid

The governor’s proposal could leave 24 districts with less Foundation Aid than expected. The one-house budgets aim to fix that.

Bianca Fortis   ·   March 13, 2025
A school bus for a Yeshiva in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.
New York’s Ultra-Orthodox Yeshivas Challenge New State Education Mandates

New state education rules will cut funding to private schools that can’t provide the same level of education as public schools. The ultra-Orthodox community is fighting back.

Mel Hyman   ·   February 24, 2025
New York Student Test Scores Show Little Improvement Post-Pandemic

Student performance in math and reading is still below pre-pandemic levels, according to new data — but on par with the national average.

Bianca Fortis   ·   January 29, 2025
Photo collage of a desk with a notepad and voice recorder in a newsroom.
Green Funding Feint, Foundation Aid Update, and Lobbying Fines

Hochul proposes school funding updates and a climate funding alternative. A prominent lobbying firm racks up fines.

Bianca Fortis, Colin Kinniburgh and Chris Bragg   ·   January 24, 2025
Hochul Unveils Universal Free School Meals Program: State of the State 2025

The governor also wants to make some community college programs free. But she didn’t touch the thorniest issue: the school funding formula.

Bianca Fortis   ·   January 15, 2025
Photo collage of a desk with a notepad and voice recorder in a newsroom.
Covering Governor Hochul’s 2025 State of the State

Our team will be descending upon Albany on Tuesday. Here’s what they’ll be watching.

New York Focus   ·   January 13, 2025
Trump’s Education Priorities, Foundation Aid, and Mayoral Control: 2024 in Review

New York Focus education reporter Bianca Fortis reflects on the most important education stories in New York this year, and what to keep an eye on next year.

Bianca Fortis   ·   December 30, 2024
A row of electric Lion school buses charge at a row of charging stations.
‘In a Bind’: Some New Yorkers Reject Transition to Electric School Buses, Despite Mandate

New York’s push for electric school buses by 2027 has districts across the state struggling with voter approval and funding.

Bianca Fortis   ·   December 18, 2024
Photo collage of Donald Trump in front of school desks, with a map of New York state in the background.
What Trump’s Second Term Could Mean for New York Schools

A review of Trump’s first term, along with his campaign promises and details found within Project 2025, indicate what’s to come in New York.

Bianca Fortis   ·   November 20, 2024
Rows of desks in a classroom with a roll of dollar bills on each desk.
In Brief: What Is Foundation Aid, New York’s School-Funding Formula?

Here’s a simple explanation of a complicated and archaic formula — and why the state is updating it.

Bianca Fortis   ·   November 18, 2024
Empty schoolroom chairs face a large help wanted sign.
Why Can’t New York Keep Up With the Demand for Bilingual Teachers?

Years of shortages have led to a staggering problem across the state, with few solutions on the horizon.

Bianca Fortis   ·   October 18, 2024
A child outside a day center
New York Child Care Providers Are Bleeding Workers as Federal Money Dries Up

Nearly half of the state’s child care providers have raised tuition and a third have lost staff, a new report found.

Julia Rock   ·   October 1, 2024
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