Current Funding Streams in New York State: Overcoming Socioeconomic Barriers to School Success

1. Current Funding Streams in New York State The 2008 Equity Symposium Comprehensive Educational Equity: Overcoming the Socioeconomic Barriers to School Success November 18, 2008 Lori Connors-Tadros, Ph.D. The Finance Project

2. Goals of the Presentation • Share preliminary findings of fiscal mapping study of resources to support children birth through age 18 • Discuss implications for the goals of the Campaign for Educational Equity • Solicit comments and input for further phases of the study

3. Purpose of the Study • Help stakeholders better understand how funding is allocated to programs that serve children and youth from birth through age 18 in New York state • The fiscal map: • Provides a full accounting of federal and state expenditures on programs aligned with key policy areas • Includes an analysis of local education funding

4. Context of Study • Policy context is favorable – increasing focus on state and local government coordination and efficiency • Fiscal context is challenging – New York faces increasing budget cuts and significant downturn in the local economy

5. Research Approach • State agency contacts identified by the Governor’s Children’s Cabinet • Written data collection protocols and surveys conducted by phone interviews and email correspondence • Public data sources, including New York agency documents and federal funding databases

6. Participating Agencies • Office of Education • Department of Health • Office of Children and Family Services • Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance • Office of Mental Health • Department of Labor

7. Data Collected • Programmatic Information: • Key services provided • Program goals • Eligibility for accessing services • Population served • Expenditure Information: • Total expenditures for children ages birth to 18 • FY 07/08 Actual Expenditures • Percentage supported by federal, state, or local education funds • Expenditures for children and youth from low income families • Expenditures by age group -- birth to five; six to 18

8. Policy Analysis Framework • Education and Early Care • Physical Health • Mental Health • Basic Needs, Economic Support, and Child Safety • Family Support

9. Limitations • Estimating was necessary in many cases for age and income related analyses • Some information on state and federal programs was not available • Local (except for education) and private data was not captured • Policy areas used for analysis are broad, and assigning programs to policy areas is an imperfect process

10. Fiscal Mapping Analysis of the Resources to Support Children and Youth in New York Preliminary Findings

11. Overview of Descriptive Analyses • What are the relevant sources of public sector funding that support programs and services for New York’s children and youth? • Approximately one third of the total New York State budget serves children birth through 18 • 111 programs expend $61.9 billion for children and youth • State and local school aid are major funding sources • School age children receive proportionately more funding than preschool children

12. New York State Budget

13. Funding by State Agency Note: Head Start funding and Local Education Revenues are classified under Dept of Education for this chart.

14. Types of Funding

15. Major Funding Sources

16. Funding by Age Group

17. Per Child Expenditures by Age Group • Average per child expenditures by age: • 0 to 5 $6,332 • 6 to 18 $16,109 • 0 to 18 $13,141

18. Funding by Income

19. Per Child Expenditures for Children from Low Income Families • Average per child expenditure by family income: • Low Income Children $16,545 • All Other Children $10,274

20. Overview of Policy Area Analyses How do fiscal resources align with key policy areas related to educational equity? • 111 total programs administered across all policy areas • Education and Early Care, Physical Health, and Basic Needs policy areas account for 98% of resources • Policy Areas: • Education and Early Care • Physical Health • Mental Health • Family Support • Basic Needs

21. TOP FIVE PROGRAMS BY POLICY AREA

22. Overall Expenditures by Policy Area

23. State Funding by Policy Area

24. Federal Funding by Policy Area

25. Funding Source by Policy Area

26. Funding by Age and Policy Area

27. Funding by Income and Policy Area

28. Selected Implications of Findings • Much of the funding comes from state and local resources– but this funding is often unstable. Are there opportunities to increase contribution of federal resources? • Funding for family support and mental health services are disproportionately lower than resources for other key policy areas. Are there opportunities to maximize services and/or increase resources in these areas, particularly for children and youth from low-income families? • Funding to children birth to five is proportionately lower than funding to school age children. Is New York under-investing in these cost-effective services?

29. Questions for Further Research Further research could help answer the following: • How do private foundations contribute to the funding mix of service delivery in localities? • How do local funds, other than education, contribute to a full accounting of fiscal resources for children and youth? • How effective are current funding strategies -- is funding diverse, flexible, stable, and being maximized to support long-term goals?

30. In Summary • The NY funding map and analysis provides a good picture of the current public funding sources supporting services for children and youth. • It suggests important next steps to develop a strategic financing approach for the Comprehensive Educational Equity Project.

31. The Finance Project Our mission is : • To support decision-making that produces and sustains good results for children, families and communities. The Finance Project develops and disseminates research, information, tools and technical assistance for improved policies, programs and financing strategies