Yonkers Insider: New York State Assemblywoman MaryJane Shimsky 92nd District: Foundation Aid Study Public Hearings.

New York State’s Enacted State Fiscal Year 2024-25 Budget called for the Rockefeller Institute to conduct a study to assess the State’s Foundation Aid education funding formula - https://rockinst.org/foundation-aid-study/ and discuss potential modifications to how the formula works.

As part of the study, researchers at the Rockefeller Institute are collecting feedback from the public and education stakeholders, including school families, teachers, staff, administrators, school boards, appointed and elected officials, education researchers and experts, and education-focused support and advocacy organizations. Stakeholders can share input on the Foundation Aid formula by providing verbal comment at a public hearing and/or submitting written comment through an online form. 

I am disappointed that a public hearing was not scheduled in the Hudson Valley. I strongly encourage individual and institutional advocates in our region to participate via written comment if attending one of the in-person events is not possible or feasible.

Provide Verbal Comment at a Public Hearing

This summer, the Rockefeller Institute will be hosting five public hearings, with the generous support of local school districts across the state. The purpose of the hearings is to allow Rockefeller Institute researchers to listen directly to the education community and to record verbal feedback from a range of education stakeholders.

Invited stakeholder testimony will begin at 2:00 p.m. and public comment for registered speakers will begin at 5:30 p.m. at the following events:

• July 16, 2024 - New York City
  High School of Fashion Industries, 225 W 24th Street, New York, NY 10011
   
• July 25, 2024 - Western New York
  North Park Community School, 780 Parkside Avenue, Buffalo, NY 14216
   
• July 30, 2024 - Long Island
  Weldon E. Howitt Middle School, 50 Vancott Avenue, Farmingdale, NY 11735
   
• August 8, 2024 - Central New York
  Laurens Central School, 55 Main Street, Laurens, NY 13796
   
• August 14, 2024 - Capital Region
  Guilderland High School, 8 School Road, Guilderland Center, NY 12085

Members of the education community are invited and encouraged to attend a hearing and provide input on potential changes to the Foundation Aid formula through public comment.

If you are interested in signing up to speak at a hearing, please click here to access our online Speaker Registration Form - https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/FA-Speaker-Registration

Submit Written Comment through the Online Form

Education stakeholders across New York State are also encouraged to share input on potential changes to the Foundation Aid formula through the submission of written comments.

Now through Friday, September 6, 2024, at 11:59 p.m. (EST) interested members of the public can submit written feedback on the Foundation Aid formula online via the Written Comment Submission Form - https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/FA-Written-Comment.

Incorporating Stakeholder Feedback into the Foundation Aid Study

The Rockefeller Institute will review all verbal and written comments from stakeholders that are collected at the public hearings and via the online Written Comment Submission Form - https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/FA-Written-Comment. This feedback will be incorporated into the Foundation Aid formula study and will be used to inform the Institute’s final report on findings and discussion of policy options, which will be presented to the Governor, the Temporary President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the Assembly in early December 2024.

Have a question? You can reach a member of the Rockefeller Institute's team at events@rock.suny.edu.