For the fourth straight year, New York City will shoulder a larger share of its education department's budget than the state, according to the Independent Budget Office watchdog organization.
Mayor Bill de Blasio's preliminary budget projects city school funding to increase by $548 million to reach 48% of the city Department of Education's budget. State funding is expected to increase by $234 million, bringing state funds to 43% of the DOE total.
De Blasio expects that in 2015, the city will receive $1.5 billion less in aid from the state than expected under the 2007 legislation that sought to resolve the Campaign for Fiscal Equity lawsuit.
State revenues, however, plunged after the 2008 fiscal crisis, forcing postponement of promised aid. "Although state revenues have stabilized and begun to recover, education aid has not been restored to levels promised in 2007,"
The advocacy group New Yorkers for Students' Educational Rights sued the state in state Supreme Court last month.
