YONKERS MAYOR SPANO & SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS: ALBANY, FUND YONKERS SCHOOLS NOW!
Yonkers Public Schools Face $101 Million Budget Gap for 2026-2027
Mayor Spano & Superintendent Anibal Soler, Jr. Head to Albany to Advocate for Funding to Prevent Cuts
YONKERS, NY – March 3, 2026 – Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano and Superintendent of Schools Anibal Soler, Jr. head to Albany tomorrow to meet with State representatives and New York State’s Division of Budget to advocate for additional funding to help close a $101 million budget gap for 2026-2027. Driven by a structural gap created by an outdated Foundation Aid Formula used to calculate funding for New York school districts and rising special education and health care costs, Yonkers Public Schools face drastic cuts in programs and services for the next school year.
“Albany, fund our schools now,” says Mayor Spano. “The successes of Yonkers schools are in jeopardy. Yonkers taxpayers can no longer foot the bill that Albany has long ignored because of the inequitable funding formula. The system is broken. We need action in Albany to prevent cuts in the advancements our schools have made over the last decade.”
The $101 million budget deficit stems from the Foundation Aid Formula that does not recognize the unique needs of the District and underfunds Yonkers annually, compounding the GAP each year. While New York State fully funded the Formula last year, it did not change how the formula is calculated. As stated in the State-commissioned Rockefeller Institute Report, updating the Yonkers Regional Cost Index to reflect the Yonkers District’s location in Westchester County would close a $17 million annual gap, or $47 million under the Comparable Wage Index approach. Without reform, Yonkers faces reductions to programs and services despite the District’s strong testing and graduation outcomes.
Mayor Spano added, “The Rockefeller Institute’s Report very clearly outlines how to help Yonkers schools, so we are asking our partners in government to heed the advice of the Report and get it done. Grouping Yonkers along with our upstate sister cities, where the cost of living and wages are not that of the State’s third largest city, located in the most expensive county in the State, doesn’t allow us to get ourselves out of this hole. We need immediate intervention now.”
Mayor Spano and Superintendent Soler also cite rising Special Education costs, growing 50% in the last four years ($84 million), including special education out of district tuitions that are up 17% year-over-year ($11 million). Additionally, health care costs have risen $12 million annually.
Superintendent Aníbal Soler, Jr. added, “Yonkers Public Schools is facing a $101 million budget gap — not because of mismanagement, but because of a structural funding formula that does not reflect the true cost of educating children in Westchester County. We serve over 23,000 students, 73% of whom are economically disadvantaged, 22% of whom have disabilities, and 13% of whom are English Language Learners — and we have achieved a 90% graduation rate, the highest among the Big 5 cities.
But let me be clear: without significant and immediate support from New York State, the progress our students, educators, and families have worked so hard to achieve is in jeopardy. This is not about maintaining the status quo — this is about protecting opportunity and the success of Yonkers. Albany must act now to reform the Foundation Aid formula and address rising special education and health care costs so we can continue delivering the excellence our students deserve.”
Yonkers School Board President Dr. Rosalba Corrado Del Vecchio said, “The Yonkers Board of Education stands united in sounding the alarm: a $101 million deficit threatens the stability and future success of our district. Our community cannot shoulder this burden alone. The current funding formula does not account for the realities of educating students in one of the highest-cost regions in New York State, and the consequences of inaction will be devastating.
Without meaningful intervention from Albany, we will be forced to make reductions that impact programs, services, and supports our students rely on every day. Our children cannot wait. The time for incremental solutions has passed — we need bold, structural action to ensure Yonkers Public Schools continues to thrive.”
From 2022-2025, Yonkers Public Schools utilized American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding to further enhance its music, arts, counseling and sports programs.
“While we are appreciative of State one-shots over the years and federal ARPA aid to help close these gaps, the funding has dried up,” commented Mayor Spano. “We will be left to completely restructure how the District operates and functions.”
In addition to advocating for Formula Aid Formula Reform, Mayor Spano and Superintendent Soler suggest some additional viable solutions that could keep the Yonkers Public Schools successful:
Universal Pre-K Sustainability: Fund Universal Pre-K on a full year basis and add enrollment stabilization so funding allows students throughout the year. Without stability, mid-year shifts force cuts in other programs to keep UPK running.
Special Education Services: Increase high-cost special education aid and invest in special staffing to meet mandated services and complex needs. Without this support, service delays grow, compliance risk rises and more costly placements increase.
Student Support Serves Expansion: Invest $15 million to expand counselors, psychologists and social workers and lower ratios that remain far from what students need.
Building Infrastructure: Raise the Building Aid Ratio from 69.5% toward 90% to accelerate critical health and safety projects across aging facilities. Without higher aid, repairs slow, costs rise and burden shifts to local taxpayers.
Mayor Spano, Superintendent Soler and other Yonkers school stakeholders are expected to meet with Albany representatives over the next month and continue to advocate before the New York State Legislature votes on its budget by April 1.