From school funding to grad requirements: What NY education officials want in the next state budget

Updates to New York’s main school funding formula. Seed money to start making changes to high school graduation requirements. A study on gaps in arts education across the state.

Those were some of the priorities outlined Monday by the Board of Regents in its annual budget proposal. The blueprint called for a roughly $2 billion increase in state aid for the 2025-26 school year, among other investments. That proposal would see the state provide New York schools with about $37.6 billion.

The proposal comes just a month before lawmakers return to Albany for the next legislative session, offering a set of budget recommendations to Gov. Kathy Hochul and the state legislature.

Hochul is expected to issue her own budget proposal in January, and will ask lawmakers to approve a 2025-26 fiscal budget later in the spring.

For years, state education officials have sought to revamp New York’s high school graduation requirements. For example, students will no longer be required to pass Regents exams to earn a diploma beginning in the 2027-28 school year, according to a proposed timeline from state officials.

Read the full article here: https://www.chalkbeat.org/newyork/2024/12/09/new-york-education-officials-discuss-legislative-budget-priorities/