Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced the launch of a new competitive grants program for the state”™s school districts as part of ongoing efforts to improve student performance and encourage efficient spending practices.
Through the School District Management Efficiency Awards program, up to $75 million in grants will be distributed to school districts over the next three years that are able to trim unnecessary administrative costs while still maintaining a strong academic record.
“This competitive award program will reward school districts that reduce waste and cut through the bureaucracy to provide better education services to our students,” Cuomo said in an April 10 statement.
Per capita education spending in New York state ranks among the highest in the nation, but Cuomo said schools haven”™t been able to translate those dollars into results.
“For years, our state has believed the only way to fix education was to spend more of the taxpayers”™ money but while we spend more than any other state on education, we are still 38th in results,” Cuomo said.
State education dollars are primarily distributed through formula-based grants that don”™t take into account academic performance or sound financial practices.
Under the new program, grants will be awarded through a competitive process, with priority given to those proposals that best demonstrate the implementation of long-term efficiency practices that can be replicated by other school districts.
Applications must be submitted to the state Education Department by June 6. More information is available at:Â http://www.p12.nysed.gov/funding/gc-12-010/.
