In 2007-2008, the New York City Department of Education announced the Fair Student Funding (FSF) formula, in which funding allocations based weights are determined according to student characteristics. The FSF model intended to “(i) improve student achievement, (ii) fund schools equitably, (iii) improve the transparency of school budgets, (iv) empower school leaders and (v) align financial policies with the priorities of the DOE” (New York Appleseed, 2020).
Facts:
The FSF is a student-based formula, or the “weighted pupil-funding” model.
Each school’s FSF allocation is calculated based on the number of students enrolled at each school, and the specific needs of those students.
Pupil needs are“weighted” based on the cost of meeting the educational need.
Weight categories include academic intervention, English Language Learners, special education, “portfolio” high school status.
In 2021-2022, the $37.8 billion budget comprised 51% city funding ($19.5b), 34% state funding ($12.8b), 14% federal funding ($5.3b).
A History:
When the 2008 recession derailed an expected increase in State Foundation Aid, the DOE indefinitely deferred full implementation of FSF.
An IBO report on FSF revealed 94% of schools received inadequate funds based on the needs of their students in 2011-2012 (IBO, 2013, p. 4) due to the delay in implementing the FSF.
Consequently, the IBO found that a school’s current FSF funding might not reflect the academic needs of the current student body as measured by the weights in the formula; contrary to FSF’s intentions, the disparities in funding across schools serving students with similar academic needs may not have declined over time (IBO, 2013, pp. 2-3).
While this was a decade ago, the shortfall to the FSF continues according to this 2018 IBO report.
According to the DOE, FSF is fully funded for the first time after the State’s commitment to a full phase in of State Foundation Aid, the primary source for the FSF formula. As a result, all schools were funded at 100% of their FSF formula in 2021-2022 school year.
For more information about the FSF, check out this interview with an educational budget expert to explain the FSF.
Despite the Fair Student Funding initiative, achieving equity in school funding still has a long way to go!
Fully funding the FSF is only the first step to addressing the shortcomings in the formula. Check out Recommendations!
