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Report
Energy & Environment
Keys to a Cap-and-Invest Design That’s Earth- and Economy-Focused
Recommendations for a Cost-Effective Program to Meet New York's Ambitious Climate Goals
November 28, 2023
While NYCI provides a great opportunity to reduce emissions in a cost-effective manner and fund critical investments strategically, its success depends on it being well designed and implemented.
Report
State Budget
The Mid-Year Check-in
Six Takeaways from the NYS Financial Plan Update and Quick Start Budget Report
November 20, 2023
The fiscal news of the last three weeks makes one thing clear: This year’s budget process will be unlike those of recent years.
Op Ed
State Budget
State budget gaps are coming. The time to address them is now.
Albany Times Union
October 20, 2023
With temporary funding boosts petering out, New York must curtail spending growth to head off painful cuts later.
Special Feature
Education
Mapping School Aid by District
School Year 2023-24
September 06, 2023
The series of maps below provide district-level data on the distribution of school spending, State school aid, enrollment change, and other data for school year 2023-24.
Report
Education
The Learning Ledger
NYS School Aid Continues to Rise in the 2023-24 School Year
September 06, 2023
New York State’s school aid increases 8.8 percent this year, largely driven by the final year of three-year phase-in of Foundation Aid.
Report
Economic Development
11 Billion Reasons to Rethink
New York's Increasing Economic Development Spending
July 20, 2023
Despite improved disclosure about individual projects, State and local economic development spending continues to increase without sufficient evidence that these programs cost-effectively create jobs or are more beneficial than alternative uses of the funds.
Report
State Budget
Making Hay While the Sun Shines
A Plan to Strengthen New York State’s Rainy Day Fund
June 28, 2023
Today we are left playing catchup with the threats of storm clouds looming on the horizon.
Report
Education
School Spending, Enrollment, and Fiscal Cliffs 101:
The NYC Department of Education Budget Before, During, and After the Pandemic
April 11, 2023
Decisions about the DOE’s budget should consider enrollment declines and the City’s precarious fiscal condition.
Report
State Budget
Lump Sum Warning
$14.8 Billion in Proposed State FY 2024 Discretionary Lump Sum Spending Authority Invites Waste and Corruption
March 31, 2023
The State’s resources should be allocated transparently and based on clearly articulated priorities, quantified assessments of needs, and the likely evidence-driven benefits of the spending.
Report
State Budget
Steep Incline and Cliffs Ahead:
Unaffordable NYS FY 2024 Spending Proposals Put Future at Risk
March 24, 2023
New York State’s budget has recently grown at an incredible and unsustainable rate, risking future instability and setting the stage for damaging service cuts or counterproductive tax increases.
Testimony
Education
Testimony on the NYC Department of Education and the City’s FY 2024 Preliminary Budget
Submitted to the New York City Council Committee on Education
March 15, 2023
Understanding the DOE’s budget and spending trends prior to and throughout the pandemic, and the implications for fiscal year 2024 and beyond, is vital to determine how much of the City’s resources should be allocated to the DOE going forward.
Testimony
Public Workforce
Testimony on the New York City Health Insurance for Employees and Retirees
Submitted to the New York City Council Committee on Civil Service and Labor
January 09, 2023
With health insurance costs budgeted to increase at a rate of 8.5 percent between fiscal years 2023 and 2026, efforts to restrain the City’s costs are critical.
Report
Education
Better Targeting New York’s Pupil Transportation Aid
December 12, 2012
This brief examines education funding in New York State with an emphasis on the distribution of funding versus costs across school districts. The brief includes recommended reforms to the State aid formulas in order to better target resources to the neediest districts and promote greater efficiency in school district management.
Report
Public Workforce
A Comparative Analysis of the Pay of Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Police Officers
December 02, 2012
This brief compares the wages of Port Authority police officers with those of the largest state and local police forces in the region, as well as a federal agency. The major finding of the report is that Port Authority police officers are paid more generously than other agencies in the analysis.
Report
Economic Development
Recommendations for the Next Round of Economic Development Council Awards
October 10, 2012
This brief analyzes the first round of awards for New York State's Regional Economic Development Councils and provides recommendations to standardize and improve evaluation of programs, as well as move toward a unified economic development budget.
Testimony
Education
Testimony to the Education Reform Commission
July 26, 2012
Simply put, the aggregate amount of money is not the problem. Rather, current funding needs to be re-targeted to reflect new priorities.
Report
Energy & Environment
Taxes In, Garbage Out
The Need for Better Solid Waste Disposal Policies in New York City
May 30, 2012
This report makes the case for a significant change in the New York City Department of Sanitation's solid waste disposal practices, a shift from heavy reliance on long-distance exporting to landfills to greater reliance on use of local waste-to-energy facilities.
Report
Transportation
Refunding the MTA's Debt
The Importance of Getting it Right
May 06, 2012
This brief examines the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's (MTA) large-scale refunding of outstandingdebt. It focuses on a refunding that saves money and spreads debt service costs fairly over time and does not juggle the timing of debt service costs in a manner places unfair costs on riders and taxpayers in the more
distant future.
Report
Capital Spending
6 Things New Yorkers Should Know About Prevailing Wage
February 13, 2012
This report is intended to provide New Yorkers with an understanding of how prevailing wage law works so they can understand and evaluate the arguments in the current debate.
Report
Public Workforce
MTA-TWU Wage Negotiations
A "Fair Increase" Will Not Increase Fares
January 29, 2012
This report examines the contract negotiations between the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) and its largest union, the Transport Workers Union Local 100, and it applies the criteria specified by the Public Employment Relations Board for determining arbitration awards. It finds that the public interest will be served by an agreement that maintains a good standard of living for workers, is within the MTA’s ability to pay, and does not force further harm upon riders.