Metro
New York City's public school system has received billions of dollars in additional funding since 2020, even though enrollment has declined by nearly 100,000 students during that time, an analysis released Wednesday found. It was revealed.
The Department of Education's per-student spending for K-12 schools is expected to reach $39,304 in the upcoming fiscal year 2025 budget. This is a significant increase of 26.3% and equates to an increase of $8,185 per student since 2020, the Budget Committee's Citizen Survey Did You Know found.
Mayor Eric Adams has proposed a 10.2% increase in city taxpayer funding for the Big Apple's public school system, or an additional $2.1 billion, which would add to the phase-out of federal pandemic aid given to the DOE24. That nearly offset $1 billion.
Total DOE spending would be $269 million, or 0.7%, less than current funding levels.
But CBC's analysis states that “spending increased steadily from fiscal year 2020 to fiscal year 2025 as enrollment declined.”
Total DOE spending is projected to reach $39.8 billion in fiscal year 2024, an increase of $5.2 billion (15.2%) from fiscal year 2020.
From 2020 to 2024, city spending increased from $19.7 billion to $20.6 billion, and state aid increased from $12.3 billion to $14.2 billion, according to the report.
Federal funding for the DOE jumped from $2.1 billion in 2020 to $4.6 billion in 2024.
Enrollment has plummeted due to the coronavirus pandemic, with DOE losing 104,374 students between academic years 2020 and 2023.
The city currently projects an increase of 10,355 K-12 students this year and next, thanks in large part to the influx of immigrants.
However, the number of students at DOE is still 94,019 fewer than before COVID-19, the CBC report said.
At Wednesday's City Council budget hearing, council members made it clear that they want to increase education spending in the final budget negotiated with City Hall.
The City Council is pushing to increase spending on preschool and K-12 early education programs by $170 million more than the mayor's recommendation.
Education authorities and councils are awaiting a report that will reveal where there is and is not demand for early childhood slots.
Councilwoman Rita Joseph (D-Brooklyn), who chairs the school committee, cited a gap in the DOE budget of more than $200 million, or the loss of federal aid that was not replaced with city or state funds. expressed concern about.
“This is important,” she told Superintendent David Banks, who testified at the hearing.
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