AFTER MAJOR PUSH, SCHUMER ANNOUNCES AT-RISK FEDERAL EDUCATION DOLLARS FOR LONG ISLAND SCHOOLS ARE PROTECTED; SENATE AMENDMENT COULD HAVE CUT MORE THAN $16M IN FUNDS FOR LONG ISLAND, UNTIL SENATOR SUCCESSFULLY BEAT BACK PROPOSAL
Senate Amendment Planned to Drastically Change Existing Federal Funding Formula For Title I in Many Eastern States & Send Money South & West, Effectively Slashing Over $16M in Critical Funding For Long Island Families & Teachers
Schumer Publicly Condemned Amendment & Fought Hard to Prevent Measure From Threatening Long Islanders’ Funding; Schumer Successfully Beat Back Efforts to Slash Millions in Funding From NY Schools
Schumer: Funding Cuts from LI Schools Has Been Expelled
U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer today announced that, after his public push, over $16 million in at-risk federal education dollars for Long Island school has been protected. Earlier this week, Schumer launched a major push to block any Senate amendment that significantly cuts Title I funding in the Every Child Achieves Act. Schumer explained that the original Senate amendment would have radically changed the current formula used to allocate Title I education funds to K-12 schools. These funds are the largest source of federal funding for elementary and secondary education and are key to every state’s ability to improve educational opportunities, particularly for children in New York State.
Schumer successfully worked with Senator Burr, Chairman Alexander and Ranking Member Murray to secure a compromise to the amendment. Schumer insisted that all funds be “held harmless’ – meaning the new formula would not apply to any of the existing funds New York receives. In addition, Schumer secured a further improvement to require that the new formula not be applied until Title I funding reaches an annual level of $17 billion. Currently, Title I is funded at approximately $14.5 billion.
Schumer explained that this compromise ensures that New York’s funds will not be cut next year and will only have an impact on funding above $17 billion, which means New York would be seeing an increase in funding overall. Schumer said that it is good news that this money has been protected because without this funding, Long Island school districts, and districts across New York, would be financially overwhelmed and unable to provide critical services to students who most need them.
“As a proud product of the New York public school system, I know how great our state’s schools can be when given the tools, resources and funding to succeed, and that’s why I fought so hard to prevent this proposal from slashing millions in funding from New York’s public schools,” said Senator Schumer. “Our teachers and students work too hard to have the rug pulled out from under them over summer vacation and I am pleased that we were able to successfully beat back this proposal.”
This week, the Senate considered the Every Child Achieves Act on the floor, which would reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). Signed into law by President Lyndon Johnson in 1965, the ESEA was considered at the time the most far-reaching federal overhaul of the national education system. Its purpose was to provide quality education to students of all income levels by providing grants and federal resources to schools across the nation, particularly to districts serving low-income students. Since its enactment, the ESEA has been reauthorized every several years, with substantial changes being made as federal education policy has changed. The most recent, notable change was made in 2001 when the law was reauthorized as the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). In April 2015, the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee unanimously passed a bipartisan rewrite of the ESEA called the Every Child Achieves Act of 2015. This legislation was meant to address many of the shortcomings of NCLB. This bill was passed in the Senate this week.
One of the amendments considered could have had a devastating effect on the New York public education system and could have left millions of students and teachers without the critical resources needed to succeed. Schumer led a public campaign against the particular amendment, sponsored by Senator Richard Burr [R-NC], as it would change the formula currently used to determine Title I funding allocations for state and local education agencies.
Specifically, this amendment would have radically and immediately changed the formula that is used by the federal Department of Education to allocate Title I funding to K-12 schools. Schumer explained that, incorporated into the ESEA are several key provisions that cover a wide spectrum of federal education policy, including a critical provision called Title I. The Title I program allows the federal Department of Education to distribute federal funds to school districts and local education agencies (LEA) that serve a high number or percentage of low-income students..
Schumer said these Title I funds are the largest source of federal funding for elementary and secondary education, and are key to every state’s ability to improve educational opportunities. These funds are particularly important for children across New York State, where approximately 687 school districts receive more than $1 billion.
On Long Island alone, there are 122 school districts that receive more than $45 million in Title I funding. Without these funds, Schumer said New York school districts would have been financially overwhelmed and unable to provide critical services to students who most need them. If cut, Schumer said that it could have forced school districts across New York State that have long-received Title I funds to lay off teachers, cut supplemental educational programs, or make other dramatic cuts to their services provided to students.
On Long Island, the amendment would have cut education funding for 122 school districts by $16,868,000 or 37.17%.
Schumer has publicly opposed any amendment that cuts federal Title I education funding, but this amendment is particularly damaging. Title I education funds are in part based on a state’s average per pupil expenditure. States that invest significant resources in their education system are rewarded and incentivized to do so through the federal formula. In addition, another part of the Title I formula is an effort factor that looks at how much a state spends relative to per capita income (PCI). States that spend a high percentage on education relative to PCI are rewarded by taking effort into account. The proposed amendment would both remove the state average per pupil expenditure and the effort factor in the Title I formula. This means that this change hurts states that both spend a lot on education and states that have high effort relative to PCI.
This amendment would have eliminated much of the formula funding structure, specifically the PCI provisions and the ‘effort’ factor that still rewards poorer states for showing a willingness to invest in education. It would instead reward states that do not invest as much in education, in essence taking money from low-income students in one state and give it to low-income students in another state. Schumer said this methodology is flawed and not the right way to change federal policy.
|
Total Number of School Districts That Would Have Lost Title I Funding (All of NYS) : 687* |
That Would Lose Title I Funding (All of NYS) : 687*
Total Title I
Long Island Money That Would Have Been At-Risk ($ measured in thousands)
|
County |
School District |
Estimated FY2015 Title 1 Grant Funding Provided By U.S. Dept. of Ed |
Estimated FY2015 Title 1 Grant Funding Under Proposed Amendment |
Estimated Funding Gap Under Title 1 Funding Formula Change |
Percentage Difference Under New Title 1 Funding Formula |
|
Nassau |
Locust Valley Central School District |
$167 |
$126 |
-$41 |
-24.54% |
|
Nassau |
Long Beach City School District |
$437 |
$323 |
-$113 |
-25.99% |
|
Nassau |
Lynbrook Union Free School District |
$176 |
$117 |
-$59 |
-33.71% |
|
Nassau |
Malverne Union Free School District |
$235 |
$161 |
-$74 |
-31.63% |
|
Nassau |
Manhasset Union Free School District |
$87 |
$0 |
-$87 |
-100.00% |
|
Nassau |
Massapequa Union Free School District |
$189 |
$0 |
-$189 |
-100.00% |
|
Nassau |
Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District |
$172 |
$0 |
-$172 |
-100.00% |
|
Nassau |
Merrick Union Free School District |
$98 |
$59 |
-$39 |
-39.45% |
|
Nassau |
Mineola Union Free School District |
$198 |
$134 |
-$65 |
-32.65% |
|
Nassau |
New Hyde Park-Garden City Park Union Free School District |
$114 |
$79 |
-$35 |
-30.66% |
|
Nassau |
North Bellmore Union Free School District |
$71 |
$0 |
-$71 |
-100.00% |
|
Nassau |
North Merrick Union Free School District |
$40 |
$0 |
-$40 |
-100.00% |
|
Nassau |
Oceanside Union Free School District |
$336 |
$234 |
-$102 |
-30.35% |
|
Nassau |
Oyster Bay-East Norwich Central School District |
$138 |
$107 |
-$31 |
-22.70% |
|
Nassau |
Plainedge Union Free School District |
$103 |
$0 |
-$103 |
-100.00% |
|
Nassau |
Plainview-Old Bethpage Central School District |
$127 |
$0 |
-$127 |
-100.00% |
|
Nassau |
Port Washington Union Free School District |
$333 |
$238 |
-$96 |
-28.72% |
|
Nassau |
Rockville Centre Union Free School District |
$274 |
$189 |
-$85 |
-31.14% |
|
Nassau |
Baldwin Union Free School District |
$481 |
$329 |
-$152 |
-31.52% |
|
Nassau |
Bellmore Union Free School District |
$35 |
$0 |
-$35 |
-100.00% |
|
Nassau |
Bethpage Union Free School District |
$93 |
$0 |
-$93 |
-100.00% |
|
Nassau |
Carle Place Union Free School District |
$80 |
$50 |
-$30 |
-37.50% |
|
Nassau |
Roosevelt Union Free School District |
$939 |
$659 |
-$280 |
-29.84% |
|
Nassau |
Roslyn Union Free School District |
$195 |
$119 |
-$76 |
-39.14% |
|
Nassau |
Seaford Union Free School District |
$79 |
$0 |
-$79 |
-100.00% |
|
Nassau |
Sewanhaka Central High School District |
$806 |
$553 |
-$254 |
-31.44% |
|
Nassau |
Syosset Central School District |
$389 |
$275 |
-$113 |
-29.20% |
|
Nassau |
Uniondale Union Free School District |
$1,365 |
$969 |
-$396 |
-29.02% |
|
Nassau |
Valley Stream Union Free School District 13 |
$180 |
$127 |
-$53 |
-29.62% |
|
Nassau |
Valley Stream Union Free School District 24 |
$303 |
$197 |
-$106 |
-34.90% |
|
Nassau |
Valley Stream Union Free School District 30 |
$264 |
$197 |
-$67 |
-25.49% |
|
Nassau |
Valley Stream Central High School District |
$440 |
$288 |
-$152 |
-34.50% |
|
Nassau |
Wantagh Union Free School District |
$80 |
$0 |
-$80 |
-100.00% |
|
Nassau |
West Hempstead Union Free School District |
$295 |
$194 |
-$101 |
-34.23% |
|
Nassau |
Westbury Union Free School District |
$1,112 |
$795 |
-$317 |
-28.52% |
|
Nassau |
Hewlett-Woodmere Union Free School District |
$286 |
$182 |
-$105 |
-36.59% |
|
Nassau |
East Meadow Union Free School District |
$483 |
$330 |
-$153 |
-31.67% |
|
Nassau |
East Rockaway Union Free School District |
$109 |
$67 |
-$42 |
-38.22% |
|
Nassau |
East Williston Union Free School District |
$63 |
$0 |
-$63 |
-100.00% |
|
Nassau |
Elmont Union Free School District |
$602 |
$412 |
-$190 |
-31.51% |
|
Nassau |
Farmingdale Union Free School District |
$382 |
$273 |
-$108 |
-28.43% |
|
Nassau |
Floral Park-Bellerose Union Free School District |
$96 |
$39 |
-$57 |
-59.15% |
|
Nassau |
Franklin Square Union Free School District |
$111 |
$78 |
-$33 |
-29.93% |
|
Nassau |
Freeport Union Free School District |
$1,642 |
$1,224 |
-$419 |
-25.50% |
|
Nassau |
Garden City Union Free School District |
$127 |
$0 |
-$127 |
-100.00% |
|
Nassau |
Glen Cove City School District |
$865 |
$624 |
-$242 |
-27.92% |
|
Nassau |
Great Neck Union Free School District |
$623 |
$440 |
-$183 |
-29.36% |
|
Nassau |
Hempstead Union Free School District |
$2,690 |
$1,920 |
-$770 |
-28.64% |
|
Nassau |
Herricks Union Free School District |
$135 |
$0 |
-$135 |
-100.00% |
|
Nassau |
Hicksville Union Free School District |
$519 |
$377 |
-$142 |
-27.41% |
|
Nassau |
Island Park Union Free School District |
$95 |
$74 |
-$21 |
-22.10% |
|
Nassau |
Island Trees Union Free School District |
$158 |
$107 |
-$51 |
-32.48% |
|
Nassau |
Jericho Union Free School District |
$161 |
$115 |
-$46 |
-28.77% |
|
Nassau |
Lawrence Union Free School District |
$876 |
$628 |
-$248 |
-28.26% |
|
Nassau |
Levittown Union Free School District |
$253 |
$0 |
-$253 |
-100.00% |
|
Suffolk |
William Floyd Union Free School District |
$1,790 |
$1,314 |
-$476 |
-26.61% |
|
Suffolk |
Middle Country Central School District |
$811 |
$533 |
-$278 |
-34.28% |
|
Suffolk |
Longwood Central School District |
$1,016 |
$696 |
-$320 |
-31.51% |
|
Suffolk |
Miller Place Union Free School District |
$316 |
$177 |
-$140 |
-44.09% |
|
Suffolk |
Montauk Union Free School District |
$51 |
$22 |
-$29 |
-56.58% |
|
Suffolk |
Mount Sinai Union Free School District |
$62 |
$0 |
-$62 |
-100.00% |
|
Suffolk |
New Suffolk Common School District |
$0 |
$0 |
$0 |
0.00% |
|
Suffolk |
North Babylon Union Free School District |
$431 |
$274 |
-$157 |
-36.43% |
|
Suffolk |
Northport-East Northport Union Free School District |
$187 |
$0 |
-$187 |
-100.00% |
|
Suffolk |
Fire Island Union Free School District |
$0 |
$0 |
$0 |
0.00% |
|
Suffolk |
Oysterponds Union Free School District |
$33 |
$26 |
-$7 |
-20.13% |
|
Suffolk |
Patchogue-Medford Union Free School District |
$952 |
$636 |
-$317 |
-33.25% |
|
Suffolk |
Port Jefferson Union Free School District |
$42 |
$0 |
-$42 |
-100.00% |
|
Suffolk |
Quogue Union Free School District |
$0 |
$0 |
$0 |
0.00% |
|
Suffolk |
Remsenburg-Speonk Union Free School District |
$0 |
$0 |
$0 |
0.00% |
|
Suffolk |
Riverhead Central School District |
$940 |
$486 |
-$454 |
-48.26% |
|
Suffolk |
Rocky Point Union Free School District |
$196 |
$140 |
-$56 |
-28.70% |
|
Suffolk |
South Country Central School District |
$980 |
$654 |
-$325 |
-33.22% |
|
Suffolk |
Mattituck-Cutchogue Union Free School District |
$46 |
$0 |
-$46 |
-100.00% |
|
Suffolk |
Eastport-South Manor Central School District |
$111 |
$0 |
-$111 |
-100.00% |
|
Suffolk |
Amagansett Union Free School District |
$0 |
$0 |
$0 |
0.00% |
|
Suffolk |
Amityville Union Free School District |
$743 |
$503 |
-$240 |
-32.31% |
|
Suffolk |
Babylon Union Free School District |
$63 |
$0 |
-$63 |
-100.00% |
|
Suffolk |
Bay Shore Union Free School District |
$697 |
$450 |
-$247 |
-35.40% |
|
Suffolk |
Bayport-Blue Point Union Free School District |
$232 |
$186 |
-$47 |
-20.13% |
|
Suffolk |
Brentwood Union Free School District |
$3,826 |
$2,743 |
-$1,082 |
-28.29% |
|
Suffolk |
Bridgehampton Union Free School District |
$17 |
$11 |
-$6 |
-37.25% |
|
Suffolk |
Center Moriches Union Free School District |
$79 |
$62 |
-$17 |
-21.51% |
|
Suffolk |
Sachem Central School District |
$768 |
$535 |
-$234 |
-30.42% |
|
Suffolk |
Sag Harbor Union Free School District |
$125 |
$90 |
-$35 |
-27.99% |
|
Suffolk |
Sagaponack Common School District |
$0 |
$0 |
$0 |
0.00% |
|
Suffolk |
Sayville Union Free School District |
$88 |
$0 |
-$88 |
-100.00% |
|
Suffolk |
North Shore Central School District |
$169 |
$127 |
-$43 |
-25.18% |
|
Suffolk |
Shelter Island Union Free School District |
$0 |
$0 |
$0 |
0.00% |
|
Suffolk |
Shoreham-Wading River Central School District |
$49 |
$0 |
-$49 |
-100.00% |
|
Suffolk |
Smithtown Central School District |
$325 |
$0 |
-$325 |
-100.00% |
|
Suffolk |
South Huntington Union Free School District |
$665 |
$424 |
-$241 |
-36.24% |
|
Suffolk |
Southampton Union Free School District |
$126 |
$87 |
-$39 |
-30.68% |
|
Suffolk |
Southold Union Free School District |
$48 |
$34 |
-$14 |
-29.16% |
|
Suffolk |
Three Village Central School District |
$169 |
$0 |
-$169 |
-100.00% |
|
Suffolk |
Wainscott Common School District |
$12 |
$0 |
-$12 |
-100.00% |
|
Suffolk |
West Babylon Union Free School District |
$330 |
$221 |
-$109 |
-33.13% |
|
Suffolk |
West Islip Union Free School District |
$288 |
$125 |
-$164 |
-56.75% |
|
Suffolk |
Westhampton Beach Union Free School District |
$78 |
$42 |
-$36 |
-46.15% |
|
Suffolk |
Wyandanch Union Free School District |
$711 |
$470 |
-$241 |
-33.86% |
|
Suffolk |
Central Islip Union Free School District |
$1,500 |
$1,053 |
-$447 |
-29.79% |
|
Suffolk |
Cold Spring Harbor Central School District |
$45 |
$0 |
-$45 |
-100.00% |
|
Suffolk |
Commack Union Free School District |
$168 |
$0 |
-$168 |
-100.00% |
|
Suffolk |
Connetquot Central School District |
$333 |
$155 |
-$179 |
-53.59% |
|
Suffolk |
Copiague Union Free School District |
$1,038 |
$695 |
-$342 |
-33.00% |
|
Suffolk |
Deer Park Union Free School District |
$407 |
$256 |
-$151 |
-37.11% |
|
Suffolk |
East Hampton Union Free School District |
$130 |
$80 |
-$50 |
-38.46% |
|
Suffolk |
East Islip Union Free School District |
$155 |
$0 |
-$155 |
-100.00% |
|
Suffolk |
East Moriches Union Free School District |
$34 |
$0 |
-$34 |
-100.00% |
|
Suffolk |
East Quogue Union Free School District |
$54 |
$38 |
-$16 |
-29.43% |
|
Suffolk |
Elwood Union Free School District |
$223 |
$96 |
-$127 |
-56.95% |
|
Suffolk |
Fishers Island Union Free School District |
$0 |
$0 |
$0 |
0.00% |
|
Suffolk |
Greenport Union Free School District |
$142 |
$113 |
-$29 |
-20.13% |
|
Suffolk |
Half Hollow Hills Central School District |
$501 |
$231 |
-$270 |
-53.87% |
|
Suffolk |
Hampton Bays Union Free School District |
$227 |
$160 |
-$68 |
-29.80% |
|
Suffolk |
Harborfields Central School District |
$114 |
$0 |
-$114 |
-100.00% |
|
Suffolk |
Hauppauge Union Free School District |
$229 |
$88 |
-$141 |
-61.52% |
|
Suffolk |
Huntington Union Free School District |
$633 |
$382 |
-$251 |
-39.66% |
|
Suffolk |
Islip Union Free School District |
$206 |
$137 |
-$69 |
-33.65% |
|
Suffolk |
Brookhaven-Comsewogue Union Free School District |
$310 |
$202 |
-$109 |
-35.05% |
|
Suffolk |
Kings Park Central School District |
$107 |
$0 |
-$107 |
-100.00% |
|
Suffolk |
Lindenhurst Union Free School District |
$544 |
$357 |
-$187 |
-34.43% |
|
TOTAL |
$45,379 |
$28,520 |
-$16,868 |
-37.17% |
Methodology
* Data on Title 1 funding provided by the U.S. Department of Education.
