Chalkbeat NY | On Tuesday, Hochul included the proposal in her $252 billion state 2026 budget, which would send $37.4 billion to schools across the state — a nearly $1.7 billion increase, or 4.7%, from the prior year’s budget. It builds on a broader agenda focused on affordability outlined by Hochul during her State of the State address last week.

Hochul’s proposed budget also called for updates to the state’s school funding formula, an issue expected to take center stage in education budget discussions this year. Known as Foundation Aid, the formula was originally created in 2007, and in some cases relies on decades-old data to determine how much funding is sent to school districts.

For years, advocates, lawmakers, and other education officials have called for updates to the formula, with some arguing it requires a complete overhaul. But the governor’s proposed updates — which were among the suggestions put forward by the state’s Board of Regents and a recent report issued by the Rockefeller Institute — could potentially result in New York City receiving a smaller funding increase, advocates warned Tuesday.

Kim Sweet, executive director of the nonprofit group Advocates for Children of New York, said even when combined with the swap to using economically disadvantaged student counts, the proposed changes would result in less overall funding for New York City schools.

“The current federal poverty threshold for a family of four is just $32,150,” she said in a statement. “Trying to make ends meet on $30,000 means something very different for a family in New York City than elsewhere in the State.”

Hochul’s proposal did not include several changes to the formula sought by city advocates and officials, such as additional funding for students in temporary housing, or extra dollars to implement the state’s class size mandate for New York City schools.