What’s at stake: See federal funding in every CNY school district

Best friends Zah’Khyia Lane, 9, and Octavia Gray, 9, hug as they converge on the first day of school at Meachem Elementary School in Syracuse, Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2024. (N.

Scott Trimble | [email protected]) N. Scott Trimble | strimble@syracuse.



com Kevin Tampone | [email protected] Millions of dollars could be at stake in Central New York after the Trump administration threatened to withhold federal funding for public schools if they don’t meet its demands on diversity, equity and inclusion programs. The 64 school districts in Cayuga, Cortland, Madison, Oneida, Onondaga and Oswego counties together received over $324 million in federal funding during the 2022-2023 school year, the most recent year with state Education Department data available.

That was more than 8% of the districts’ collective total revenue that year, similar to the statewide figure. Districts in the region vary in their reliance on federal dollars. In three districts, Syracuse, Utica and Madison, federal aid accounted for over 10% of total revenues during the 2022-2023 year.

Syracuse had the biggest share of federal money in its budget that year at 14.3%, according to state data. That translates into more than $85 million.

The lowest share was in Fayetteville-Manlius at 2.4%. You can see details of federal funding levels in Onondaga County school districts in the chart below.

If you can’t see the chart, click here to open it in a new window . President Donald Trump has repeatedly taken aim at diversity, equity and inclusion programs in schools, businesses and government agencies since his inauguration in January. He has portrayed them as discriminatory, divisive and unfair and pressured organizations to end them.

The threat against funding in public schools came Thursday. The administration said specifically it could withhold Title I money unless officials verified the elimination of programs it said unfairly promoted diversity, equity and inclusion, according to The New York Times . The threat was contained in a memo from the federal Education Department sent to top public school officials across the country.

The memo included a certification letter for state and local officials to sign to verify compliance. They have 10 days to do so, according to the Times. “Federal financial assistance is a privilege, not a right,” Craig Trainor, acting assistant education secretary for civil rights, wrote on Thursday, according to Axios .

“When state education commissioners accept federal funds, they agree to abide by federal antidiscrimination requirements.” Title I funding is the largest source of federal aid for K-12 schools, according to All4Ed , a national nonprofit advocacy group. The money is aimed specifically at districts with low-income students.

Districts nationwide received about $18.4 billion in Title I funds in the 2023 federal budget, All4Ed said. About two-thirds of school districts in the U.

S. get at least some Title I funding. The New York state numbers on federal money in CNY school districts include all funding sources, not just Title I.

For details on total federal funding in every Central New York district, see the table below. If you can’t see the table, click here to open it in a new window . Contact Kevin Tampone anytime: Email | Twitter | Facebook | 315-282-8598.