Financial Data and Reports

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Fair Student Funding

Fair Student Funding (FSF) is the main source of money for most schools. With input from the School Leadership Team, principals decide how to spend these funds to meet basic educational needs.

FSF is based on the number of students enrolled at each school and the needs of those students. This budgeting method is called a weighted pupil-funding model.

You can find out more information about FSF in the Fair Student Funding Guide.

You can also view the following information about any school’s FSF budget:

  • The Fair Student Funding Overview explains how each school’s FSF amount is calculated. It also details how the school’s funding has changed from the previous year.
  • The Fair Student Funding Detail shows the number of students in each FSF category. It also shows the changes from the previous year in each category.

School Allocation Memoranda

In addition to FSF, schools receive other funding through School Allocation Memoranda (SAMs). SAMs give money to schools for specific purposes. Schools can then budget for the needed services, such as teachers and supplies.

You can find SAMs here. The written description in each SAM provides:

  • purpose of the funds
  • background about the funds
  • source of the funds
  • how the funds should be used

NYC Smart Schools Funding 

This plan details how the Department of Education intends to use approximately $783 million in New York State Smart Schools Bond Act funding.

Other Financial Reports

We also publish other financial reports, which are required by law. These include:

  • Financial Status Reports are published six times per year. FSRs give updates about the budget for the current year.
  • Audited Financial Statements are published once per year. These reports evaluate the financial condition of the DOE by Generally Accepted Accounting Principles.
  • School-Based Expenditure Reports are published once per year. These reports estimate per pupil spending in each fiscal year. Estimates are based on school data such as registers and the total dollars spent at the school.
  • New York State School Funding Transparency Forms are published once per year. These reports represent DOE budget projections as per State-defined reporting categories.