School Funding Transparency

Beginning with the 2018-19 school year, Education Law §3614 - which was passed by the Legislature and became law as Chapter 59 of the Laws of 2018 - requires school districts to “annually submit to the commissioner [of the State Education Department] and the director of the budget … a detailed statement of the total funding allocation for each school in the district for the upcoming school budget year” in a “form developed by the director of the budget, in consultation with the commissioner [of the State Education Department].” The New York State School Funding Transparency Form is the outcome of this process.

Based on existing financial information that school districts already report to the State Education Department on a district-wide basis, the form seeks to capture school districts’ methodologies and/or rationales for school-level funding determinations, including funding from State, local, and federal sources. In addition, the form surveys school districts’ projected centralized district costs, school-level student and staff information, school-level allocations for various programs, and—if applicable—school-level allocations under any locally implemented funding formula.