New York Gov. Kathy Hochul will announce in the coming days her support to fund universal school meals in the next state budget as part of her State of the State executive agenda, sources told Spectrum News on Wednesday.

It is estimated to cost about $250 million for universal coverage for all school districts in the state. Currently, about $145 million of the state's $237 billion budget funds free school meals in low-income districts.

Federal funds totaling $15 million will go to installing 350 electric vehicle charging stations at State University of New York campuses, U.S. Sens. Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand announced Tuesday.

The funding comes from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Charging and Fueling Infrastructure Grant Program, which is part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act, which Congress passed and President Joe Biden signed into law in 2021.

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Regular school attendance can be considered a cornerstone of academic achievement. However, reports across New York state and even the country have seen a significant increase in learning loss due to being chronically absent during the school year.

The phrase "80% of success is just showing up" may come across more clever than true. But it resonates strongly in light of reports of one in three students chronically absent from school districts across the state, according to the New York State Comptroller.

In 2019, the New York State Board of Regents under Chancellor Betty Rosa created a Blue Ribbon Commission (BRC) to travel around the state and collect information from stakeholders regarding the attributes and skills that students need to get them ready to graduate from high school, whether they choose to go to college, a trade school or participate in the economy in another way.

Fast forward to 2024 – the state has now determined that there should be multiple pathways to graduation, and that a Regents diploma isn’t, and shouldn’t be, the only option for students.

A bill setting a maximum temperature for public school classrooms across New York was signed into law by Gov. Hochul.

The law signed Friday takes effect Sept. 1, 2025, and requires instructors to address heat conditions once temperatures reach 82. They are advised to close blinds and use fans or air conditioning if the school is equipped.

Educators gathered in Albany on Monday, urging state leaders to institute a statewide policy for cell phone use in schools. They say consistent statewide policy is needed as opposed to the district-by-district approach that exists now.

At the state capitol, educators led by the New York State United Teachers pointed to guidance from the U.S. Department of Education calling on states to take action on cell phones in the classroom.

According to most of the experts Capital Tonight has spoken with, the Rockefeller Institute’s Foundation Aid report is both thorough and thoughtful.

Rick Timbs agrees, but he also says there are elements of the report that he would describe as “naïve."

In what appears to be a major change from the policy position she took last year during state budget negotiations, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul’s spokeswoman said the governor wants “to avoid proposals that would negatively impact school budgets, such as eliminating the hold-harmless provision of the Foundation Aid formula.”

"Hold harmless," also called "save harmless," protects school districts from funding reductions despite enrollment drops.

After five public hearings and multiple stakeholder meetings, the Rockefeller Institute’s Foundation Aid report was released Monday afternoon.

Foundation Aid has been the primary school funding formula in New York state since 2007.

The Rockefeller Institute of Government was asked earlier this year by Gov. Kathy Hochul to review the state's Foundation Aid formula, the primary funding formula for New York schools.

The formula is outdated, having been created in 2007 under Gov. Eliot Spitzer.

“We have more students who are coming to school who are not potty-trained.”

Marie Wiles was blunt about the increasingly basic needs of her pupils. She has served as superintendent of the Guilderland Central Schools, a suburb of Albany, for 14 years.

As Spectrum News 1 reported last month, New York's higher education system is again seeing an increase in enrollment, as colleges and universities across the nation trend downward.

New data out from the State University of New York system on Wednesday shows an increase of 2.3% in enrollment from last fall. Last year, SUNY saw an increase of 1.1% from the year prior.

New York education leaders are pushing a new timeline for which Regents exams will be eliminated as a graduation requirement in January 2028. The idea to move away from that form of standardized testing has been on the table for several years.

Some people view this shift as lowering expectations. But people in the education field say there will be a rigorous set of learning standards still in place, there will just be new alternatives for students to show mastery of them.

The state could stop using the Regents exams as a graduation requirement in January 2028 if the Board of Regents approves a plan outlined by the state education department.

“Starting in January 2028, so that’s the 2027-2028 school year, while Regents exams will be one of many ways for students to demonstrate mastery of the state's rigorous learning standards there will no longer be a separate assessment requirement to graduate high school,” Shannon Logan, director of standards and instruction for the New York State Education Department, said during a presentation Monday.

In an effort to help New York's top high school seniors get accepted at SUNY colleges and universities around the state, the state has launched the SUNY Top 10% Promise Program.

According to a press release, the Top 10% Promise is a direct-admissions program that automatically grants acceptance to graduating high school students whose GPAs are in the top 10% of their class to select SUNY campuses. The nine initial participating campuses are University at Albany, University at Buffalo, SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, SUNY Geneseo, SUNY New Paltz, SUNY Oneonta, SUNY Polytechnic Institute, Purchase College and Stony Brook University.

New York state lawmakers have partnered with Buffalo's SUNY schools to help close the opportunity gap for students.

Buffalo State University, the University at Buffalo and SUNY Erie are each involved in the Advancing Completion Through Engagement and Advancing Success in Associate Pathways programs.

State lawmakers and Gov. Kathy Hochul are marking a milestone this month in a long awaited effort to expand the state’s Tuition Assistance Program, or TAP. More than 40,000 newly eligible New York state students have submitted TAP applications for the 2024-25 academic year. It comes as the state projected that changes in this year's budget could benefit about 93,000 students.

State Assemblymember Pat Fahy, who chairs the Higher Education Committee, said in addition to raising the income threshold from $80,000 to $125,000 per year, state lawmakers also increased the minimum TAP award from $500 to $1,000, and increased income limits for married and independent students. The expansion program also includes extending eligibility to part-time students and those enrolled in non-degree programs, which they say opens doors for students who are pursing a non-traditional path.

As Capital Tonight has been reporting, the Rockefeller Institute has been tasked with revising New York state's 17-year-old Foundation Aid formula, which determines the amount of funding school districts receive.

The public policy think tank held hearings with stakeholders including district leaders, elected officials and experts across the state over the summer where some voiced concerns about the formula.

A group of civic organizations sent a letter to the New York state Board of Elections identifying what they describe as possible failures in state law mandating colleges with dorms and at least 300 registered voters have polling places on campus or nearby.

Blair Horner, executive director of good government group NYPIRG who was a driving force behind the effort, explained the study found 20 four-year colleges with 1,000 or more full-time students and on-campus housing had no polling place within a mile of campus, based on Board of Elections data.

Transitioning back to life post-pandemic was hard for many people, but it was significantly difficult for students.

“We noticed that students were not fully returning back to school,” said Aundrea Sanders, director of crisis prevention and intervention supports for Buffalo Public Schools. “We had parents that were concerned with the continued spread of COVID. We had to look at addressing student attendance in a different manner.”

The primary school funding formula for public schools in New York is getting a reboot.

The Foundation Aid formula, which has been the vehicle by which lawmakers direct money to school districts based on need, has been the blueprint for education advocates since 2007. But the formula is 17 years old and requires new inputs and updated data to accurately reflect district need.

Starting Tuesday, many federal student loan procedures will begin to look more like they did pre-pandemic.

A one-year grace period, or “on-ramp” for those who miss a payment or are in default or delinquency, is ending, as is a program that allows borrowers a "fresh start" if their loans aren't in good standing.

Finance website WalletHub recently ranked New York as the best state in the nation to be a teacher across a variety of categories ranging from teachers’ income growth potential to the pupil-teacher ratio to public-school spending per student.

Education advocates say it rings true that New York is a good place to be a teacher, but from a legislative standpoint there is still improvement to be made for educators in the Empire State.

The New York State United Teachers passed a resolution supporting a statewide law or policy restricting smartphones and other devices like smartwatches and earbuds in schools from school opening to dismissal, the union announced Tuesday.

The extent of those restrictions should be designed locally, with input from parents, educators, unions and other stakeholders, the union said. In addition, they said educators should not be responsible for implementation or enforcement of those policies and state resources should be available to cover the costs of implementation.

With the school year in full swing, some of you may have — or be — a student looking at higher education. How do you know that college or university has your students’ best interest in mind?

Institutions of higher education are fighting tooth and nail to keep students enrolled. In fact, according to Education Data, since 2010, enrollment has declined 11.61%.

Gov. Kathy Hochul joined members of the New York state United Teachers to tackle the issue of cell phones in schools, an evolving problem according to educators. A recent poll found that 80% of NYSUT membership agreed phones and social media were having a negative effect on students.

“We come in ready to teach, and we're faced with our students being attached to their cell phones," said NYSUT Executive Vice President Jamie Ciffone. "And it lessens the amount of instructional time that we have with them, which is limited already. And it also takes away from the maximization of the learning time for our students.”

Smartphones are being blamed for attention issues, poor grades, bullying and mental health issues for kids in schools. The New York State Teachers Union, the Council of School Superintendents, the state PTA and other school administrators are convening to explore the impact of phones, social media and technology on kids.

Earlier this month, Gov. Kathy Hochul said meetings like Friday's NYSUT conference will make things clearer for a phone ban decision.

JAMESTOWN, N.Y. — With most students still only just a few weeks into the new school year, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents and school leaders are working to help combat the online threats of violence.

"This is a kind of vandalism,” said Dr. Kevin Whitaker, superintendent, Jamestown Public Schools. “It is a social media vandalism. It's a community and culture vandalism.”

It’s not just the beginning to a new school year for students but all of the professionals and leaders that keep New York’s schools running.

David Albert, chief communications and marketing officer at the New York State School Boards Association, joined Capital Tonight on Friday to discuss the priorities that education leaders have heading into a new school year.

Approximately 60 schools across New York have until the end of the school year to not only change their nickname from something non-indigenous but their logos as well.

Schools like Indian River — now known as the Wolves rather than the Warriors — also have to do this on their own dime, on the hook for potentially hundreds of thousands of dollars.

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — As many families struggle with making ends meet, putting food on the table can be a challenge. For some children, meals served at school are the only meals they receive.

New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand is calling on lawmakers to approve the Universal Schools Meals Program Act. It would provide free breakfast, lunch, dinner and a snack to all students regardless of income.

The National Parents Union released a report detailing the state of New York's education system, and it doesn't put it in a positive light. According to their findings, 80% of Black and Hispanic students in Buffalo, Albany, Syracuse and Rochester aren’t proficient in reading and math.

“Clearly, it’s unacceptable," said Ashara Baker, the New York state director for the National Parents Union.

As the New York State Board of Regents met in Albany Monday, one line on the schedule was fairly routine for a September convening: a look ahead at state aid.

This year though, Bob Lowry, deputy director of the New York State Council of School Superintendents, told Spectrum News 1 the conversation is a bit more crowded thanks to the Rockefeller Institute’s Foudnation Aid study.

The school year has begun in much of New York state, which means we’re seeing a plethora of very cute “first day” photos on Facebook.

But we’re also expecting some significant changes on the horizon that may have both parents and teachers feeling a little extra anxiety these days – specifically changes to the education landscape that could come with a new administration in Washington, as well as changes that we could see right here in New York regarding cell phone policies.

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — New York's education leader is speaking out about the nation's latest school shooting.

Wednesday’s school shooting in Georgia that left four people dead — two students and two teachers — may very well trigger feelings of fear for students and parents alike, as this is the first week back to school for many districts in upstate New York.

A new law is being proposed to stiffen penalties for drivers who illegally pass stopped school buses.

Despite existing penalties, the New York Association for Pupil Transportation says more than 50,000 vehicles illegally pass stopped school buses every day in New York state.

Meeting the challenges of student mental health and New York’s nursing shortage: Two issues that are being tackled by one agency – New York state's community colleges. The task is getting help from an $8 million funding increase in the state budget.

“Community colleges are foundational to the state's success," said SUNY Chancellor John B. King Jr. "We have a tremendous nursing shortage in the state. Community colleges are part of the answer to that. As we tackle the consequences of climate change and we try to move towards renewable energy and there's a tremendous need to prepare folks for green jobs, community college are the answer to that.”

Created during the administration of Gov. Eliot Spitzer, the Foundation Aid formula is being revised by the Rockefeller Institute, which held its final hearing Wednesday in Guilderland, a suburb of Albany.

The decision to update the formula came after Gov. Kathy Hochul pushed to eliminate a provision of the formula which ensures that the money a district receives isn’t less than the previous year’s total.

The pick of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as the Democratic vice presidential nominee has put a spotlight on several of his policy positions, including universal free school meals.

This past session in New York, that proposal was introduced in the state Legislature. While it didn’t pass, the Legislature did include more money for an already existing program.

The State University of New York system and the state are working together to create and fund a new jobs program that’s like the Empire State version of AmeriCorps or a domestic version of the Peace Corps.

SUNY Chancellor Dr. John King spoke with Capital Tonight’s Susan Arbetter about the Empire State Service Corps Program, which was funded in this year’s state budget to the tune of $2.75 million, and will employ 500 young people across the state.

A bill waiting for Gov. Kathy Hochul's signature would create a registry for private student loan debt.

Jordan Daniels, student loan manager at Empire Justice Center, explained that families often turn to private student loans when a federal loan and financial aid don’t quite close the gap.

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — As school wraps up for the year, Kim Cristal is getting ready for a busy summer. She’ll be working with teachers at Irondequoit High School creating lesson plans based on new a pilot program.

The pilot program comes from the New York State Education Department. The performance-based learning assessment networks plan will work with educators, teaching them how to use real-world situations in the classroom.

A 159-year-old tradition may be coming to an end for high school students in New York state.

Regents exams have been administered since 1865 and the graduation of a student hinges on passing them. On Monday, the New York State Department of Education’s Board of Regents shared their vision to transform the track to graduation.

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- According to analysis compiled by the New York State School Boards Association, voters approved roughly 97% of school district budgets Tuesday and about two-thirds of districts that sought to override the property tax cap were successful.

New York State Council of School Superintendents Deputy Director Robert Lowry said the 18 total budgets defeated on the first try are slightly more than average but in general the numbers are in line with where they've been since 2012 when the state enacted the cap.

Tuesday is Election Day. This time, voters across New York are heading to the polls to determine the future of education.

There are school board seats on some ballots and different propositions — but the bottom line is the budget.

Education stakeholders in New York have been trying to make changes to the Annual Professional Performance Review (APPR) of teachers and principals for years.

The APPR, according to teachers, school boards and superintendents, yielded little or no benefit in improving teaching or learning while imposing enormous time demands on school personnel.

Many higher education institutions are fighting tooth and nail to keep students enrolled across the country. That's because a number of colleges and universities are closing their doors due to a lack of students.

State University of New York Chancellor John King reports a different trend. Approaching this final week of commencement ceremonies across New York state, King is weighing in on a range of topics from enrollment to layoffs.

Facing a possible $1 billion deficit over the next decade without additional support from New York state, this budget cycle presented high stakes questions for leaders of the State University of New York system.

That picture became clearer with state Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart Cousins telling reporters Thursday afternoon that the final budget is expected to include about $60 million in operating aid for SUNY. That’s $6 million more than what Gov. Kathy Hochul proposed in her executive budget.

One of the major topics this state budget cycle was K-12 education funding, and whether Gov. Kathy Hochul’s proposal to make changes to the Foundation Aid formula would survive the negotiating process after legislative leaders came out against it.

The governor announced a “conceptual” budget agreement Monday that she said commits $36 billion to education, the highest in state history.

The city’s public school system is the largest in the U.S., with over a million kids and upwards of 1,800 schools, and the mayor is responsible for setting the agenda.

It’s called mayoral control.

Schools are breathing what will likely be a temporary sigh of relief.

Gov. Kathy Hochul announced last week that changes she had recommended in her executive budget to the Foundation Aid formula, the primary school funding formula, would wait until next year’s budget.

New York lawmakers are pushing for more higher education funding in the final enacted state budget.

While Gov. Kathy Hochul’s excutive budget includes significant funding, those lawmakers are hoping to go further, making changes to the Tuition Assistance Program, or TAP, which helps eligible New York residents pay tuition at approved schools in New York state.

U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand is now pushing to codify President Joe Biden’s income-driven student loan repayment program.

Currently, more than 7.7 million federal student loan borrowers are enrolled in the Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE) Plan, including nearly 300,000 New Yorkers.

AMHERST, N.Y. -- The University at Buffalo says the institution has been a leader in super-computing and artificial intelligence research for several decades, even before people referred to the research as AI.

It expects to soon cement that position as the center of New York's new Empire AI consortium, connecting researchers at top public and private universities across the state.

New York state education leaders and the teachers' union have announced an agreement to change how New York school teachers and principals are evaluated, and move away from the mandated reliance on standardized test scores.

State Education Department Commissioner Betty Rosa and New York State United Teachers President Melinda Person hand-delivered their drafted legislation Wednesday to lawmakers to create a new system that doesn't use students' test performance to penalize educators. The state teacher evaluation system, known as the Annual Professional Performance Review, or APPR, was modified in the 2015 budget to place a greater importance on scores.

State legislators and advocates gathered at the state Capitol Tuesday rallying in support of increasing non-public school safety grant funding as lawmakers negotiate the state budget.

The program helps nonpublic schools acquire necessary safety and security equipment.

WILLIAMSVILLE, N.Y. -- In 2023, New York, for the first time, fully funded public education under the state’s Foundation Aid formula.

State Sen. Sean Ryan, D-Buffalo, said after several years of budget victories, few advocates expected the trend to continue this year but what the governor proposed was an actual cut.

The New York state Senate and Assembly on Tuesday released their one-house budget proposals, and as expected, both rejected Gov. Kathy Hochul’s proposal to end "Save Harmless."

"Save Harmless," also known as "Hold Harmless," ensures that districts don’t receive less in Foundation Aid than the previous year and has been a major issue of contention so far this legislative session, also receiving significant pushback from Republican lawmakers.

The State University of New York system will phase out the use of single-use plastics like bags, beverage bottles, food service products, utensils, plastic wrap and packaging films, SUNY Chancellor John King announced Tuesday.

The higher education system will work with the SustainChain public service platform to create a plastics-free solutions hub with access to resources on how to achieve the new requirement.

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- According to the American Bar Association, the average law student graduates with $130,000 in student loan debt.

Many are able to quickly make a dent by going into lucrative private or corporate practices, but Amanda Jack of the Legal Aid Society says those who go into publicly funded work typically make far less.

Jackpots for three of New York’s popular draw games — Mega Millions, Powerball and NY LOTTO — have generated more than $63.9 million for public schools and small businesses, the state Gaming Commission said Thursday.

Individually, as of Thursday, the jackpots for Mega Millions have generated $23.8 million; Powerball $17.8 million; and NY LOTTO $13.4 million. Sales for the three games have also generated $8.9 million in commissions for lottery retailers, according to the commission.

For many students, the excitement of being accepted into their first-choice college is being tempered this year by a troublesome uncertainty over whether they’ll get the financial aid they need to attend.

The financial aid decisions that usually go out with acceptance letters are being delayed because of a later-than-expected rollout of a revised Free Application for Federal Student Aid, the form commonly known as FAFSA that schools use to compute financial aid.

Saying that he's focusing on his job here, State University of New York Chancellor John King is downplaying a report that lists him as one of 10 potential candidates to become the next president of Harvard University.

King, a 1996 Harvard graduate, is being considered to run the Ivy League institution, according to a report in the Harvard Crimson last week.

In an effort to improve access to higher education, Gov. Kathy Hochul wants to make completing a Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, a requirement for all high school seniors in the state.

“The process, it can be overwhelming," said Aydin O’Hearn.

Republican members of the New York state Senate and Assembly unveiled a proposal Monday that aims to address the state's electric school bus mandate.

The proposed legislation would delay the requirement for school districts to purchase zero-emission school buses by 2027, pushing it to 2045.

According to state Education Department figures, New York’s public schools are seeing their lowest enrollment numbers since the years after World War II, and that decline is affecting public and private institutions of higher education across the state — from the lecture hall to the budget office.

On Friday, lawmakers heard from higher education leaders, including SUNY Chancellor Dr. John King, in a marathon budget hearing. King has said that SUNY either needs more operating aid from the state or an increase in tuition to address the system’s financial needs.

School districts and education experts are continuing to express concerns about Gov. Kathy Hochul’s plan to end "Save Harmless," also known as "Hold Harmless," which ensures that districts don’t see a decrease in Foundation Aid funding compared to the previous year.

At Berne-Knox-Westerlo Central School District, administrators say increases in Foundation Aid in the years following the Great Recession have yielded significant improvements to services offered to students as well as the district’s facilities.

Education funding is one of the largest sources of state spending and this year is no different.

Fresh off a marathon budget hearing on propped education funding is the chair of the Senate Education Committee, Yonkers Democratic state Sen. Shelley Mayer, who joined Capital Tonight on Friday.

New York lawmakers gathered in Albany Thursday for a joint hearing on the state’s education budget.

Members of the state Education Department were on hand to testify, and as expected, much of the conversation surrounded the governor’s proposal to end "Save Harmless," also known as "hold harmless." It ensures that districts don’t receive less Foundation Aid funding from one year to the next.

This week at the Capitol, we’ve heard about a push for universal free lunches, we’ve heard from lawmakers hoping to put new restrictions on IDAs giving tax breaks, and Gov. Kathy Hochul awarded $100 million for 50 school districts and BOCES to address pandemic learning loss, all as key players continue to express concerns about the governor’s proposal to end a policy known as "Save Harmless."

On Thursday, lawmakers will gather in Albany for a joint hearing to address the state’s education budget. It’s an opportunity for members of the Legislature to hear testimony from those on the front lines.

More than 50 school districts and BOCES facilities in New York will receive $100 million to address learning loss brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic and provide students with mental health support, Gov. Kathy Hochul’s office announced Wednesday.

Fifteen school districts will get the Learning Loss Recover from COVID School Program (RECOVS) grant, which aims to help expand student access to academic recovery professionals, improve capacity for school staff and students to identify learning loss, implement learning loss and academic recovery practices and ensure financial stability for school-based academic recovery opportunities.

New York state Senate Republicans unveiled a legislative package Tuesday aimed to counteract changes to education funding outlined by Gov. Kathy Hochul in her executive budget proposal earlier this month.

The governor is proposing a $35.3 billion school aid package that includes a 2.1% jump, or a $507 million increase, in Foundation Aid, the primary school funding formula, but despite that increase, as well as aid tied to expenses, some view that as a cut from last year.

There is bipartisan opposition to how Gov. Kathy Hochul wants to change the state’s primary school funding formula.

The governor wants to do away with a provision called “Save Harmless,” which essentially ensures school districts receive no less state aid than they did the year before.

As part of her education budget, Gov. Kathy Hochul set aside $10 million for teacher training to help educators ease into a new curriculum to teach literacy.

At the same time, the Education Trust-NY is launching what it calls “The New York Campaign for Early Literacy” Tuesday at the state Capitol.

Over the last few years, Gov. Kathy Hochul has brought school funding up to record levels in New York state by fully funding the primary school aid formula that funds schools.

But according to education stakeholders, under her 2.4% increase this year, many school districts will see a decrease in their aid allotment, which may result in drastic reductions to student programming and opportunities. The reason? Inflation is at 4.1%.

Gov. Kathy Hochul is proposing a $35.3 billion school aid package in her executive budget. That’s a 2.4% increase over last year, but there are fears that despite increases to Foundation Aid, as well as aid tied to expenses, education funding could be a major issue of contention this session.

A provision known as "Save Harmless"could take center stage. It ensures that districts don’t see a decrease in Foundation Aid funding compared to the previous year, but as enrollment decreases in many districts, that practice is being called into question.

There will be plenty of fights over New York Gov. Kathy Hochul’s executive budget, but because this is an election year, the most aggressive battle may be waged over education funding. The reason is timing: During election years, one of the ways lawmakers deliver to their constituents is via education aid.

The fight will be despite the governor’s proposed $35.3 billion school aid package for Fiscal Year 2025, which includes a 2.1% increase, or a $507 million increase, in Foundation Aid, the primary school funding formula making it the highest level of state funding in the state’s history.

Most public schools in New York are funded in two ways: State aid via the out-of-date Foundation Aid formula, and local property taxes.

If you live in a rural district where the tax base is stagnant or shrinking, the school district that serves your community will end up having to rely more heavily on state aid money, which can be precarious.

Property tax levy growth for New York school districts and 10 of the state's cities will be capped once again at 2%, state Comptroller Tom DiNapoli said Thursday.

This is the third straight year the cap remains the same.

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Gov. Kathy Hochul is proposing New York's public universities and some of its top private institutions team up to stay relevant in the rapidly advancing world of artificial intelligence, or AI technology.

"The companies like Amazon and Microsoft and Google, the big tech giants, they are able to invest in these resources and make those artificial intelligence advances and the universities are being left behind," Venu Govindaraju, University at Buffalo vice president for Research and Economic Development, said.

In her State of the State address on Tuesday, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul made expanding school based mental health access a priority.

It’s not the first time Hochul has pushed for expanded mental health clinics in schools, but the expansiveness of her 2024 proposal is going over well with advocates as well as lawmakers on both sides of the aisle with experts driving home that making it physically easier for students and families to receive this care is crucial to combatting the mental health crisis they say is being experienced in New York’s schools.

The Education Trust New York says in Rochester, 89% of students are not reading at grade level; in Syracuse, it's 87%; and Buffalo is only doing slightly better, with 76% of students not meeting grade level expectations.

Governor Kathy Hochul addressed this in her State of the State address and says she has plans to advance public schools’ adoption of the “science of reading” method. Hochul calls it her “Back to Basics” reading plan.

Prior to Gov. Kathy Hochul’s third State of the State address, the state’s powerful teachers union, New York State United Teachers, unveiled their legislative priorities, including “sustainable” funding for State University of New York institutions, air quality and temperature in schools and “fighting to end childhood poverty.”

One of the priorities listed by NYSUT would be to make changes to the state’s pension fund. They are looking to reach “parity” for members in tiers 5 and 6 with those in tier 4. Tier 4 allows people to retire at age 55 with 30 years of service or retire at 62 regardless of service tenure. Those in tier 6 must work until the age of 63 to retire without penalty.

Gov. Kathy Hochul on Wednesday unveiled a proposal aimed to overhaul the way reading is taught in New York.

Speaking at an elementary school in Watervliet, in Albany County, Hochul said her "Back to Basics" plan approaches reading instruction by teaching phonemic awareness, phonics, decoding, vocabulary and comprehension.

BUFFALO, N.Y. — Asian Lunar New Year was the latest holiday to be recognized by New York State public schools. Gov. Kathy Hochul signed the bill in September.

While it's seen as an important way to recognize the AAPI community and give others the chance to learn more about the day, it could pose difficulties for school districts.

The primary school funding formula in New York is a complicated amalgam of data which may be updated for the first-time next year since its creation in 2006.

“Foundation Aid” attempts to provide school districts with the amount of state money that they need to provide students with a sound basic education. Some districts need less state aid than others because they are wealthy, and local property owners supplement state funding with property taxes.

The top Democrats and Republicans of the state legislative agriculture committees are calling for U.S. Senate passage of the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act in a letter sent to New York’s U.S. senators, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand.

The Whole Milk for Health Kids Act would “reinstate” 2% and whole milk in schools. The legislation would overturn rules passed in 2010 in the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act.

After last year’s record-breaking education budget, which included an additional $3.03 billion in state aid to public schools, the New York State Board of Regents on Monday requested a more down-to-earth budget increase of $1.35 billion.

Still, the request may face some strong headwinds. It’s being made while the state is facing a $4 billion-plus budget gap, and Gov. Kathy Hochul has already stated her unwillingness to hike personal income taxes on the wealthy.

SUNY enrollment is up for the first time in a decade, but several campuses are struggling financially, leading to rolling back programs available and leaving some buildings unused.

Watertown-area state Assemblyman Scott Gray has a bill that would require taking inventory of all SUNY buildings to determine their futures.

Nonprofit Empire Center is looking into how union influence can impact the makeup of your local board of education.

They say those organizations, and the more than 5,000 mostly unpaid volunteers serving on them, have broad responsibility for public school governance in New York to oversee nearly $50 billion in budgeted expenditures. Across 676 elected school boards, they say these expenses are driven primarily by personnel costs, especially those shaped by contract negotiations with unions.

According to the national K-12 School Shooting Database, there have been 306 school shootings in 2023, which has surpassed the record-breaking number of 305 from last year. To try to increase safety for children, many districts have turned to school resource officers for an extra layer of protection on school grounds.

Officer Aaron Moore is one of them.

Earlier this week, the State University of New York system put out its fall enrollment numbers, showing an increase in overall enrollment for the first time in 10 years.

Additionally, first-time enrollment is up more than 4% across all campuses.

Two New York state senators are introducing legislation to create a new school safety position.

State Sen. Jake Ashby (R,C-Castleton) and Assemblyman Scott Bendett (R,C-Sand Lake) have teamed up on legislation to create a certification program for a school safety specialist position at schools across the state.

For the first time in a decade, enrollment across the State University of New York campus system increased over the course of one year, Gov. Kathy Hochul's office announced Wednesday.

Enrollment between fall 2022 and fall 2023 increased 1.1%, for a total of 367,542 more students. That's the first year-to-year increase in ten years.

After nearly four years of work, New York's Blue Ribbon Commission on Graduation Measures has released its report and recommendations for changing the requirements needed to obtain a high school diploma.

State Education Commissioner Betty Rosa and Angelique Johnson-Dingle, the deputy commissioner for P-12 Instructional Support, joined Capital Tonight Tuesday discuss the recommendations.