Also says state should ban student cellphone use
Gov. Kathy Hochul’s state budget proposal, released Jan. 21, recommends that nearly every school district in New York, including Haldane, Garrison and Beacon, receive 2 percent increases in unrestricted foundation aid for 2025-26.
That differs from her proposal last year, which would have cut the aid sent to Beacon and Garrison, although much was restored in the final spending plan adopted by the Legislature in April. The 2025-26 budget is expected to be finalized by April 1, although legislators have missed that deadline before.
For 2025-26, Hochul proposed that Beacon receive $21.7 million in foundation aid (up from $21.3 million this year) and $31.5 million in total aid, an increase of 1.83 percent. Superintendent Matt Landahl on Monday (Jan. 27) thanked community members for advocating increased funding. “It may not make a difference in the moment, but over time it does,” he said.
Haldane is expected to receive $3 million in foundation aid, an increase of $58,000. Hochul proposed sending the district a total of $4.6 million in state aid, an increase of 3.5 percent. Garrison is expected to receive $600,000 in foundation aid, an increase of $12,000, and $1.2 million overall, an increase of 5.24 percent.
The governor’s proposal also includes $340 million to provide free breakfast and lunch for every public school student in New York. Beacon has provided free meals since December 2023 while Haldane has a cafeteria where students can buy prepared food.
Garrison would need to spend about $100,000 to renovate its kitchen to serve meals, said Superintendent Gregory Stowell. “Now that there’s a potential revenue source for the school lunch program, we’re certainly going to take a hard look at it,” he said.
In addition, Hochul proposed a “bell-to-bell” restriction on cellphone use by students, a plan that Landahl said he expects will become law. The budget proposal includes funding to help schools pay for storage units for student phones. All three local districts have restrictions on student cellphone use during class.
