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Four young children sit around a table, playing with clay.
New State Law Could Unlock Thousands of Child Care Seats, Critics See Risks

The Hochul administration now has a chance to relax New York’s child care staffing ratios — among the country’s strictest — after 26 years. But will it?

Melissa Manno   ·   May 12, 2026
A book lies open and face-down on a desk.
Scores of New York School Districts Report Using Discredited Reading Curricula

Two years after Gov. Hochul unveiled her signature literacy policy, advocates say the findings underscore an urgent need for sweeping literacy reform.

Melissa Manno   ·   May 7, 2026
An East Ramapo Central School District school bus.
Rockland County School District Sues State for Blocking Its Superintendent Pick

The East Ramapo school board has been overseen by state monitors for years after it slashed millions in public school funds to bankroll private religious education.

Melissa Manno   ·   April 30, 2026
Hochul Pushes Mamdani to Slow Spending in Exchange for Aid

The governor has asked for cost-cutting plans on pricey housing vouchers and public school programs, sources say.

Nick Garber   ·   April 16, 2026
Child Care Voucher Enrollment Is Closed in 34 New York Counties and NYC

That number is up from 21 last July. New York City’s waitlist alone has surged to over 17,000 — a tenfold increase in less than a year.

Melissa Manno   ·   March 31, 2026
Class Size Plan at Center of Mamdani’s Bid to Extend Mayoral Control

The administration will soon send legislators a plan to meet a mandate capping class sizes, said NYC Schools Chancellor Kamar Samuels.

Melissa Manno   ·   March 25, 2026
Albany Unites on Universal Child Care, Splits Over Education Funding

The Senate and Assembly budget proposals included most of the governor’s ambitious child care plans — but lawmakers have other ideas for Foundation Aid.

Melissa Manno   ·   March 11, 2026
Thousands of 4-Year-Olds Couldn’t Apply to Universal Pre-K Last School Year

Dozens of school districts have opted out of the state’s program. Will the governor’s proposed funding boost be enough to help school districts close the gaps?

Melissa Manno   ·   March 9, 2026
Five Questions for New York’s Education Leaders

The state’s top education officials head to the hot seat Thursday for a lengthy budget hearing. Here are some questions we’d put on the table.

Melissa Manno   ·   January 28, 2026
Child Care Promises Leave Funding Questions Open: State of the State 2026

Hochul has proposed a multibillion-dollar plan that she says would ultimately deliver free child care to every New York family — without tapping additional revenue sources.

Melissa Manno   ·   January 14, 2026
Covering the 2026 State of the State

Here’s what our reporters will be watching for during Governor Kathy Hochul’s agenda-setting address that will kick off state budget negotiations.

New York Focus   ·   January 12, 2026
An illustration of Eric Adams against a rack of Chromebooks
Inside Eric Adams’s School Chromebook Spending Spree

The Adams administration is shelling out north of $320 million to give public school students Chromebooks that connect to the internet through cell service. Most already have internet at home.

Zachary Groz   ·   December 22, 2025
Does New York Spend More Per Public School Student Than Any Other State?

New York school districts are budgeted to spend $89 billion on public education in the 2024–25 school year.

Ferdi Ferhat Özsoy   ·   August 6, 2025
Arcane Accounting Rule Is Draining Millions From New York Classrooms

There are nearly 4,000 outstanding claims currently in a queue that stretches back more than a decade.

Bianca Fortis   ·   May 13, 2025
Albany’s Blueprint for Schools: Cell‑Free Halls, Looser Yeshiva Rules, New Aid Math

Hochul’s budget includes $37 billion for education, but the state Education Department is slamming one policy change as “educational malpractice” and a political retreat.

Bianca Fortis   ·   May 9, 2025
A school corridor lined with yellow lockers is distorted as though underwater.
New York’s School Districts Are Shrinking — But Their Financial Problems Are Growing

New York’s comptroller has flagged 22 school districts as fiscally stressed — up sharply from last year.

Bianca Fortis   ·   May 2, 2025
Phantom Bill Targeting Education Rules Triggers Sharp Backlash in Statehouse

No lawmaker will take credit for the proposal, but its quiet circulation has sparked fierce debate over state control of religious education.

Bianca Fortis   ·   April 10, 2025
Bill to Loosen Education Standards Quietly Circulates in Albany

Yeshivas and other nonpublic schools face a looming deadline to prove they offer an education similar to the state’s public schools. A proposed bill would loosen those rules and potentially delay the deadline.

Bianca Fortis   ·   April 3, 2025
St. Regis Mohawk School at Risk as State Funding Falls Short

Governor Hochul’s budget allocates only a fraction of what the state Board of Regents suggested for three state-owned Indigenous schools.

Bianca Fortis   ·   March 30, 2025
New York’s Teacher Misconduct Cases Face Years-Long Delays, Leaving Students in Limbo

A New York Focus investigation finds that the state can take up to seven years to resolve complaints against educators.

Bianca Fortis   ·   March 26, 2025
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