Dear Comsewogue Community,
As many of you have heard and read in the press, New York State Governor Kathy Hochul has called for a change in the formula used by the state in determining annual school district foundation aid distributions. Foundation aid was established in 2007 with the goal of ensuring all school districts received a level of funding necessary to supplement local property taxes to ensure all students receive a high quality, comprehensive education. The law enacting foundation aid also stated full funding of the formula was to start immediately. That did not happen until the 2023-2024 school year, after years of litigation. Last year, just one year after the state finally achieved full funding, Governor Hochul proposed a unilateral change in the formula and an elimination of the “hold harmless” feature that ensured districts would not receive any less funding than the prior year’s allocation. That was pushed back by the state legislature. However, there is consensus that the formula needs updating – it has been 16 years since the formula was first developed. It is still based on factors that are outdated, others that need to be reassessed, and still other factors that are new to today’s educational landscape that have significant cost consequences for school districts.
Over this past summer, the Rockefeller Institute for Government, consultants hired by the state to study the foundation aid formula and make recommendations to Governor Hochul and the state legislature for its revision, held public meetings across the state to gain input from the public and education stakeholders. An online portal was also set up so that interested parties could provide additional input to be considered in developing the final recommendations to be submitted to the Governor and state legislature.
The District will be submitting its perspective on what needs to be considered in the development of any new foundation aid formula. We would like to encourage our community members to provide additional input in support of what the District is indicating to Governor Hochul and the state legislature needs to be addressed in any new formula.
Visit this link to provide your input.
When submitting your input, question number 6 requires you to upload a file. We have provided a template letter below that you may use. Please download the file below by clicking the three dots on the right side and selecting "Download" to save it to your computer.
When you get to the sixth question when providing your input, you will upload that same file to the portal.
Thank you for your ongoing support of the Comsewogue School District and the education of our Comsewogue students. It is the collaboration between the district, parents, and the greater Port Jefferson Station community that ensures our children receive the best education possible.