MID-HUDSON – The overall number of school districts designated in a financial stress category has declined considerably since school year 2019-20, with the 2021-22 year continuing the trend, according to a just-released report by Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli’s office.
One school district in the state – Mount Vernon – was rated as having “significant stress.”
Five school districts were rated as having “moderate stress;” they included two in the region – Roscoe Central School District and East Ramapo Central School District.
DiNapoli’s office said the reasons for the decrease this year “are largely the result of significant increases in both federal and state aid. In particular, high need urban/suburban districts, which typically have the highest incidence of fiscal stress, received some of the largest aid increases and had the steepest reduction in the number of districts designated in stress.”
The report said although increased federal and state aid has certainly reduced fiscal stress in school districts, the increases in federal aid are temporary and the state’s plan to fully fund Foundation Aid by school year 2023-24 is currently on track, it is not binding on future legislatures, nor is maintaining aid at that higher level.
The comptroller’s report said school district officials still face difficult operational and staffing decisions to determine how best to provide services to their students in the future.
