Guv's Budget I

BOCES is freaking out over this paragraph in the governor's budget:

Rationalize BOCES Aid. Boards of Cooperative Education Services (BOCES) provide
both instructional and non-instructional services to school districts. However, current aid
formulas often discourage school districts from seeking the unsubsidized best price on
certain non-instructional services. Beginning with aid payable in 2012-13, the Executive
Budget would distribute BOCES Aid based on the same State aid ratio as Foundation Aid.
In addition, to encourage system-wide cost effectiveness, beginning with costs
reimbursed in 2012-13, certain non-instructional services provided by BOCES would no
longer be reimbursed. (2011-12 School Year Value: $0; 2012-13 School Year Value: $135
million; 2011-12 State Fiscal Year Value: $0; 2012-13 State Fiscal Year Value: $34
million)

This may or may not mean that certain collaborations--the central business office, energy management program, print shop, etc.--will no longer be aidable. Since the guv is into collaboration and consolidation, this doesn't make a lot of sense--it's often this sort of non-instructional service that is easiest to consolidate. Since the specific non-instructional services on the block aren't spelled out in the budget, I guess we'll just have to see what the results are. BOCES is running numbers to see which services would still be a bargain if aid were withdrawn.

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