Extra money headed to NYC colleges serving homeless college students, officers say

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New York Metropolis will ship greater than $9 million in further funding to varsities serving excessive shares of homeless college students, after updating its coverage for a way college students residing in momentary housing are counted, in line with the town’s Schooling Division.

The change comes after Comptroller Brad Lander despatched a letter final month warning roughly 21,000 college students had been vulnerable to being omitted of the town’s faculty funding system.

The system sends further cash to varsities that serve a disproportionate share of scholars with disabilities, English language learners, and college students who stay in momentary housing. Faculties noticed their budgets adjusted based mostly on what number of college students with disabilities and English language learners they served as of December this 12 months. However for college kids residing in momentary housing, the system beforehand relied on information from Dec. 31, 2022.

With an inflow of asylum-seeking and different migrant households getting into the town’s shelter system over the previous 12 months, that meant colleges serving greater shares of homeless college students might miss out on thousands and thousands in further funding, Lander mentioned.

However at a city corridor in Brooklyn final week, officers from the town’s Schooling Division mentioned the system had been tweaked to allocate about $9.6 million in further faculty funding.

“Of us ought to begin seeing that,” mentioned colleges Chancellor David Banks. “That’s taking place in actual time.”

The town’s Schooling Division confirmed it had up to date faculty funding allocations for college kids in momentary housing to make use of enrollment figures as of Oct. 31.

“As a result of inflow of newcomers, we’ve taken a tough take a look at our coverage and revised it so we are able to extra rapidly present sources to our colleges to assist our newly arriving college students,” mentioned Nicole Brownstein, a spokesperson for the town’s Schooling Division “We’re happy to say the funding was allotted to varsities in early December.”

In an announcement Monday, Lander praised the choice.

“This can cut back useful resource shortage in colleges with new arrivals and assist guarantee all college students get the assist they want,” he mentioned.

Schooling Division officers additionally famous that previous to midyear funds changes, $17 million had additionally been distributed to varsities experiencing greater than anticipated enrollment progress.

Officers didn’t instantly say what number of further college students residing in momentary housing had been included within the faculty funding system on account of the change.

Although the town’s inhabitants of homeless college students has lengthy remained excessive, it surged to almost 120,000 with the inflow of asylum-seeking households final 12 months — a report excessive for the town.

Issues over the funding system got here as the town skilled broad monetary challenges. The Schooling Division has been compelled to lower almost $550 million from its funds, as the town prepares for the looming expiration of federal pandemic assist subsequent 12 months. Faculties the place enrollment numbers fell wanting projections additionally confronted midyear funds cuts for the primary time in 4 years.

Julian Shen-Berro is a reporter masking New York Metropolis. Contact him at jshen-berro@chalkbeat.org.