What $100 Million Could Buy for New York Students
Because New York already spends more than almost any other state on education — yet students still lag behind — it is worth imagining what a targeted investment of $100 million could do if the state plugged waste and redirected the dollars into classrooms instead.
New York school districts are budgeted to spend about $89 billion on public education in a single school year — roughly $36,000 per student, far above the national average.
So what practical improvements could just $100 million buy if we stopped losing that money to waste, weak oversight, and improper payments?
1) Smaller Class Sizes & Additional Teachers
Across large urban districts like New York City Department of Education, there is an ongoing effort to hire thousands of new teachers to meet new class size caps — but such mandates are extremely expensive. Estimates suggest hundreds of millions would be needed to implement the full class-size law.
With $100 million you could:
- Hire several hundred additional teachers — enough to meaningfully reduce class sizes in multiple schools.
- Fund targeted literacy and math intervention teams for K-3 classrooms.
Smaller classes are one of the most consistently supported mechanisms for improving student outcomes — and right now, the money exists in the system — it just isn’t always used that way.
2) Mental Health and Behavioral Supports
Many New York schools struggle to hire enough counselors, social workers, and psychologists. With student needs growing post-pandemic, districts are looking for more staff to support mental health, attendance, and behavior.
$100 million could fund:
- Hundreds of full-time school counselors statewide.
- Expanded behavioral support teams in high-need schools.
- Targeted social-emotional learning programs.
Improved mental health support means fewer discipline issues, more consistent attendance, and better teaching conditions.
3) School Building Repairs and Safety Improvements
Infrastructure is a chronic cost driver, especially in older districts. Roofs leak, HVAC systems fail, and secure entry systems are outdated — all problems many districts postpone because budgets are tight.
An extra $100 million could help:
- Repair or replace HVAC systems in dozens of buildings.
- Upgrade playgrounds and athletic facilities.
- Improve building security and emergency communications.
Investing in infrastructure does not just protect property — it supports learning by creating safe, reliable environments.
4) More Reliable Transportation
In many parts of the state, students lose instructional time because bus service is not reliable. Audits have shown systemic lapses in vendor oversight, which leads to unnecessary costs and poor performance.
Redirecting $100 million could:
- Fund GPS monitoring and performance enforcement for bus contractors.
- Increase funds for rural and special education transportation.
Every minute students spend on a bus instead of in a classroom is lost learning time.
5) Academic Supports Outside Core Instruction
School budgets often push non-instructional costs to the limit, leaving little for enrichment or acceleration.
$100 million could expand:
- High-dosage tutoring in reading and math.
- Summer learning and enrichment programs.
- After-school academic support.
These are the kinds of proven strategies that boost achievement, especially for historically underserved students.
Why This Matters
New York’s per-student spending is among the highest in the nation — nearly double the national average — yet student performance on standardized measures often lands in the middle of the pack nationally.
That does not mean “throwing more money” is the answer — it means asking where the money goes and demanding accountability so every dollar is truly invested in students.
$100 million is not a magic bullet — but it is a lens. It shows that, if waste is reduced and funds are prioritized strategically, the state could make meaningful progress in areas that directly impact student learning.
In Summary
New York has the resources — but too often, those resources are lost to:
- Billing errors
- Weak oversight
- Contract loopholes
- Improper payments
If even a fraction of those leaks were stopped and redirected, dollars like these could be put to work on:
- Smaller classes
- Counselors and support staff
- Safe school buildings
- Reliable transportation
- Academic acceleration
And that is just the start — $100 million is not spending more; it is spending smarter.