NYSUT President Melinda Person released the following statement about the 2025-26 state budget:
"This budget sends a clear message: New York is investing in student success — now and for the future.
From securing universal school meals for every child to making classrooms distraction-free, the state is stepping up for student mental health and well-being. We applaud the Governor and Legislature for recognizing that these are foundational elements for learning and must be addressed for students to succeed in our classrooms.
Educators, parents and children across the state are celebrating this budget's deeper investments in Career and Technical Education programs, which give students real pathways to high-demand, high-wage careers.
Funding Foundation Aid $1.4 billion over last year — and starting the work to modernize the aid formula — is critical progress, and we must keep going to meet the needs of our evolving student population. Greater support for CUNY and SUNY community colleges and new scholarships for students pursuing high-need fields are strong first steps, but a generational investment in public higher education is still needed.
I want to thank our incredible NYSUT members who made their voices heard throughout this process. Your advocacy, stories and unwavering commitment to standing up for students made a real difference in securing these victories. When educators speak with one voice, lawmakers listen.
As the session continues, NYSUT will keep fighting for the resources and respect our public schools, colleges, universities and hospitals deserve."
Below are some highlights of this year’s budget. We will be doing a deeper analysis over the next few weeks and will update this accordingly.
Foundation Aid / School Funding
What Happened: The enacted budget funds the Foundation Aid formula with a $1.4 billion increase over last year. The formula has also been updated with the latest poverty and census data, changing the weighting of English language learners .50 to .53, amending the regional cost index for Westchester County and providing a 2 percent increase for every school district.
What This Means: NYSUT has long advocated for properly funding public schools while updating the Foundation Aid formula to incorporate more relevant data. These changes are essential to ensure our schools can meet the needs of all students, particularly our most vulnerable populations. This year’s funding increase is a win and the adjustments to the Foundation Aid formula are promising first steps.
See full school aid runs here.
Distraction-Free Schools (Bell-to-Bell Cellphone Restrictions)
What Happened: Starting in the 2025-2026 school year, school districts, charters and BOCES are required to adopt a policy prohibiting the use of internet-enabled devices by students during the day, with specific exceptions.
What This Means: This is a huge win for improving learning conditions for students and working conditions for educators. NYSUT members have reported that cellphones are a major distraction in the classroom and hinder genuine face-to-face communication among students. This sparked NYSUT to launch the Disconnected initiative to address this pressing issue. The new policy will help educators focus on teaching rather than being “cellphone police” and will support students’ academic and social development. New York is now the largest state to implement such a measure.
Gov. Hochul: ‘We got it done’ - New York becomes largest state to enact bell-to-bell cellphone policy
BOCES and Career & Technical Education Funding
What Happened: The enacted budget includes changes to BOCES and Special Services Aid. Over three years, the BOCES salary cap will increase from $30,000 to $60,000 and Special Services Aid will rise from $3,900 to $4,100. In 2025-26, ninth grade will be included in Special Services Aid, and no longer be limited to grades 10 through 12.
What This Means: This is a major win for Career and Technical Education in New York. State reimbursement for CTE instructor salaries has remained at $30,000 for over 20 years due to an antiquated funding structure. NYSUT has been pushing for this reform of the BOCES and Special Services funding formulas to meet today's needs. These changes will allow BOCES and programs within the Big Five school districts to expand vital CTE programs and create more opportunities for students to gain in-demand skills.
Universal School Meals
What Happened: The enacted budget requires all school districts, charter schools and nonpublic schools that participate in the National School Lunch Program and the School Breakfast Program to provide free breakfast and lunch to all students regardless of their family income.
What This Means: This is a monumental achievement for New York’s students and families. NYSUT has long advocated that all students should have universal school meals, including breakfast and lunch. Access to nutritious meals is not a luxury but a basic need that greatly influences a child’s ability to learn and thrive in school. One in five New York children lives in poverty, and this program will ensure that no child goes hungry during the school day, reducing stigma and boosting academic performance.
Teacher Centers
What Happened: The enacted budget includes $21.4 million for teacher centers.
What This Means: Funding has been restored to teacher centers, which provide essential professional development statewide, offering programs ranging from mentor teacher training and parent workshops to specialized support for educators working with struggling learners, students with disabilities and English language learners.
Income-Related Monthly Adjustment Amount
What Happened: Changes to the IRMAA reimbursement for Medicare Part B, which would have negatively impacted retirees enrolled in NYSHIP, were not included in the enacted state budget.
What This Means: NYSUT successfully fought to protect our retirees from harmful changes to their healthcare costs. This proposal would have eliminated the reimbursement of the income related monthly adjustment amount for NYSHIP retirees, which would saddle retirees with additional out-of-pocket healthcare costs.
New York Opportunity Promise Scholarship
What Happened: The enacted budget accepts the executive proposal to establish the New York Opportunity Promise Scholarship, which will provide grants for tuition, fees, books and supplies for students age 25 to 55 who pursue an associate’s degree in high-demand fields.
What This Means: NYSUT supports the New York Opportunity Promise Scholarship initiative for our public community colleges. This scholarship will help create pathways to good careers and address workforce shortages, though we will continue advocating for its expansion.
SUNY and CUNY Community College Operating Aid
What Happened: The enacted budget provides an additional $14 million in operating assistance to the SUNY community colleges and $9.3 million in operating assistance to the CUNY community colleges.
What This Means: This is a step in the right direction to provide additional funds to community colleges, which provide great benefits to the communities they serve, but have long been under-funded.
SUNY and CUNY Operating Funds
What Happened: The enacted budget provides CUNY with $147.5 million and SUNY with $115.1 million in additional funding over last year’s budget.
The enacted budget provides an additional $34 million in flexible operating assistance to cover CUNY/PSC collective bargaining costs that were not provided in the executive budget proposal.
What This Means: These increases represent meaningful progress toward properly funding our public universities and colleges. However, for too long, SUNY and CUNY struggled to achieve their missions on austerity budgets. Public higher education should be affordable and accessible to all and NYSUT will continue to push for the funding requests outlined in our New Deal for Higher Education, which calls for a generational investment in our public higher education system.
We applaud the $34 million to cover CUNY/PSC collective bargaining costs, ensuring that faculty contracts can be honored.
SUNY and CUNY Capital Funding
What Happened: The enacted budget provides $350 million in capital funding for SUNY senior colleges and $130 million for SUNY community colleges.
The enacted budget provides an additional $250 million for the modernization and revitalization of Upstate University Hospital for a total of $450 million. The enacted budget provides $450 million for SUNY Downstate Hospital.
The enacted budget provides $284.2 million in capital funding to the CUNY senior colleges and $35.1 million in capital funding to the CUNY community colleges.
What This Means: NYSUT welcomes this significant investment in the infrastructure of our public higher education institutions. The substantial funding for SUNY Upstate and Downstate Hospitals will support these vital teaching facilities that both train healthcare professionals and provide essential medical services to their communities. However, maintaining our public higher education facilities requires consistent investment. We need sustained commitment in future budgets to ensure these crucial institutions can fully serve students, support faculty and contribute to New York’s economic development for years to come.