Twenty-three thousand students. A hundred and one million dollar gap. A state budget deadline today.

Yonkers Public Schools is staring down the most consequential budget crisis in its modern history. A $101 million gap for the 2026-2027 school year. The state budget deadline is today.

The structural culprit is New York State's Foundation Aid Formula, which for 20 years has grouped Yonkers with Sullivan and Ulster Counties for its Regional Cost Index calculation. Rural, low-wage areas 90 miles north. Yonkers sits in Westchester, the most expensive county in the state. The result: state aid calculated as if teacher salaries and healthcare costs match Monticello instead of Mount Vernon.

Superintendent Anibal Soler has been blunt: "This year is the last of our reserves. We have about 24 million dollars in reserves. We're planning to use 18 million." After that, there is no cushion.

A state-commissioned Rockefeller Institute report found that updating the Regional Cost Index to reflect Yonkers' actual location would close $17 million of the gap annually. A wage-based index would close $47 million. The state has known about this for years.

Meanwhile, special education costs have surged 50% in four years to $84 million. Healthcare costs increased $12 million annually. These are not discretionary line items. Mayor Mike Spano contributed $298 million to schools — more than Buffalo, Rochester, and Syracuse combined. The city has broken the tax cap. The problem is not local effort. It's state equity.

Why it matters: Yonkers' graduation rate hit 93%, the highest among New York's Big Five city districts. Music, arts, counseling, and sports programs expanded under federal ARPA funding that has now expired. If no relief comes, those programs get cut. Teaching positions get eliminated. The children of one of Westchester's most diverse cities bear the cost of a formula that's been wrong for 20 years.

Listen to the full story on today's episode at www.iliveheremedia.com

Cesar Chavez School May Be Renamed: The Cesar E. Chavez School in Yonkers, the first school in New York State named for the late labor leader when it opened in 2018, is under review for a name change. A New York Times investigation published March 18 surfaced sexual abuse allegations against Chavez, including accounts from co-founder Dolores Huerta. Superintendent Soler said all signs lead to the district having to do something significant. LAUSD in Los Angeles voted unanimously March 23 to rename two Chavez campuses.

Pleasantville Bond Round Two: The Pleasantville School District goes back to voters May 19 with a $17.5 million bond referendum. Voters rejected a $15 million version in December 2024. This time the ask is bigger but split into two propositions covering athletic facilities, STEAM upgrades, and security.

Rye Lake Filtration Plant Underway: Westchester Joint Water Works has broken ground on the Rye Lake Water Filtration Plant, a $172 million facility serving approximately 120,000 people. Required to be operational by July 2029. Governor Hochul announced a $30 million state grant earlier this month.

ONE MORE THING

Yonkers contributes more to its schools than three other Big Five cities combined, and its graduation rate is the highest of the group. The state funding formula still treats it like a rural district. If that doesn't change today, when does it? Reply with your take.

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