Education Department, State

Agency Web Site: http://www.nysed.gov/

Mission

The State Education Department (SED) is the administrative agency of the Board of Regents. The Department's primary mission is to raise the knowledge, skill, and opportunity of all the people in New York.

Budget Highlights

Budget Highlights

The State Education Department administers school aid, regulates school operations, maintains a performance accountability system, certifies teachers and administers a host of other educational programs. These include special education services, cultural education programs, such as the State Museum and the State Archives, higher and professional education programs, vocational rehabilitation and adult career and continuing education services.

The Executive Budget recommends $60.1 billion for the State Education Department. This is an increase of $7.6 billion from the appropriation included in the 2013-14 Enacted Budget. This change primarily reflects an increase in appropriations necessary to support additional funding for School Aid and other programs including the Smart Schools Bond Act of 2014 and Statewide Universal Full-Day Pre-Kindergarten.

The Executive Budget recommends a workforce of 2,721 FTEs for the State Education Department, an increase of 58 FTEs from the expected March 31, 2014 workforce level. This increase is primarily related to direct care for vocational rehabilitation services and for employees overseeing the licensing of professions that are regulated by the State Education Department. These positions are supported by Federal and other dedicated revenue funds.

Major budget actions include:

• Smart Schools: The Executive Budget recommends a $2 billion general obligation bond act, to be brought before voters in November 2014. Bond proceeds will fund enhanced education technology in schools, with eligible projects including infrastructure improvements to bring high-speed broadband to schools and communities in their school district and the purchase of classroom technology for use by students. Additionally, Smart Schools will enable long-term investments in full-day pre-kindergarten through the construction of new pre-kindergarten classroom space.
• Statewide Universal Full-Day Pre-Kindergarten: The Executive Budget builds upon the success of the first-ever State-funded full-day pre-kindergarten program by committing to invest $1.5 billion over five years to support the phase-in of a Statewide Universal Full-Day Pre-Kindergarten program. In the 2014-15 school year, the State will provide funding of $100 million, focusing expansion first on the highest-need students. In each subsequent school year, the State's commitment will grow by an additional $100 million.
• After-school Programs: The Executive Budget appropriates $720 million over a five-year period to expand after-school programs across the State. An estimated $160 million will be available in the 2015-16 school year, growing to $200 million in the 2017-18 school year. These funds will allow schools to add or expand after-school programs to provide more enrichment opportunities for students.
• School Aid Increase: The Executive Budget provides an $807 million increase in education aid for the 2014-15 school year, $608 million of which is provided to school districts as formula-based School Aid. Most of the allocated increase is provided through a $323 million partial restoration of the Gap Elimination Adjustment (GEA). Another $285 million supports increased reimbursement in expense-based aid programs (e.g., school construction, pupil transportation, and BOCES) and other current aid categories. High-need school districts will receive over 70 percent of the 2014-15 allocated increase.
• Preschool Special Education: New York State offers extensive services to its students with disabilities, including services to children before they reach school age. The State’s spending on Preschool Special Education has doubled over the past ten years to approximately $1 billion. In order to improve service delivery and address significant program expense growth, the 2014-15 Executive Budget will include targeted reforms to the Special Education Itinerant Teacher (SEIT) services.

For more information on this agency's budget recommendations located in the Executive Budget Briefing Book, click on the following link:

Briefing Book – Education and Arts (PDF)

Note: Most recent estimates as of 01/20/2014

Click for additional detailed appropriation tables