New York State is spending more than ever before. The 2025–2026 state budget will total $254 billion, which is larger than the entire economy of Ukraine. But despite this record-high spending, New York public schools continue to fall behind. Test scores are low, students are missing school, and basic academic skills are not being taught well.
In 2024, just 38 percent of New York City public school students passed the state’s math and reading tests. That means nearly two-thirds of students failed to meet minimum expectations in core subjects. More than 300,000 students—35 percent of the city’s total public school population—were labeled as chronically absent. SAT scores were also disappointing. New York City students averaged a 473 in math, 32 points lower than the national average.
These problems are serious. But they are not happening because the state lacks money. In fact, New York spends more per student than almost any other state in the country. The problem is not the size of the budget—it’s how the money is being used.
Instead of focusing on reading, writing, math, science, and teacher support, the state has committed millions of dollars to programs that do not directly help students learn. Many of these are tied to political or social ideas, not academics. In recent years, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs have expanded across New York—including in education—without any evidence that they are improving student outcomes.
One major example is the Liberty Partnerships Program, which received $24.2 million in this year’s budget. This program is supposed to support “at-risk” students. However, the money is mostly sent to private colleges that submit “faculty diversity plans.” These plans must include goals and progress reports on how the school is increasing diversity. Colleges with endowments over $750 million are not even allowed to apply for the funds. None of this funding is tied to how well schools serve students or how many students improve academically.
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Another program, called the Culturally Responsive Education Curriculum, received $1 million to rewrite the state’s history and social studies standards. The new curriculum puts a heavy focus on identity, civic values, and religious tolerance. These subjects are not harmful, but they do not address the urgent academic needs facing New York students—especially in math and reading.
In Buffalo, the state spent $500,000 on the Teacher Diversity Pipeline Pilot. The goal of this program is to help teacher aides become certified teachers. But eligibility is based on whether the person increases the diversity of the teaching staff—not necessarily on their ability to teach or their experience in the classroom. This limits the program’s effectiveness in solving the real teacher shortage in struggling school districts.
Even outside of schools, similar spending choices appear in other areas. The Adirondack Diversity Initiative, for example, received $300,000 to hold workshops on “transformational justice” in state parks. These sessions focus on inclusion and identity in nature spaces. But there is no funding for trail repair, wildlife protection, or safety efforts. In this case, the state is funding ideology instead of basic services.
Then there’s the Community Service Society of New York, which received $300,000 in taxpayer money to help fight against a law that bans people with felony convictions from serving on juries. Their lawsuit may raise important issues—but the president of the organization made $755,122 last year. That’s more than 10 times the average income of a New York family, and five times what a New York Supreme Court justice makes.
Taken together, spending on DEI-related initiatives across New York adds up to tens of millions of dollars each year. These funds could instead be used to reduce class sizes, build better school buildings, offer free tutoring, or train teachers. But they aren’t. Instead, the state continues to invest in programs with little or no connection to student success.
This trend continues even after national pressure to move away from DEI in education. Despite guidance from the Trump administration to step back from these programs, New York has done the opposite. Under Governor Kathy Hochul and the state legislature, DEI has become a major part of how the state decides where to spend money.
New York does not need to choose between fairness and academic quality. But right now, it is choosing neither. The state budget clearly shows what Albany values—and it’s not test scores, attendance, or student learning.
If New York wants to fix its schools, it needs to focus on what works: more reading support, stronger math programs, better-trained teachers, and safer schools. That’s where money should go. Not to political goals, but to educational results. Students deserve better. And taxpayers deserve to know their money is being used to build a stronger future—not to support ideas with no benefit to the classroom.
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