Education Investments Increase in the 2026 New York State Budget
New York allocated more money than expected for education in the 2026 budget. Here is everything you need to know about how Marathon is impacted.
Sarena Eaton · 2026-07-29
The New York state budget was passed on May 28 and included many line items that directly impact education investments in Marathon and the State as a whole. The budget included a 2% increase for all school districts in NY, up from 1% in the Governor's Executive Budget Proposal. Total school aid funding is $39 billion for 2026.
Cortland County received $131.5 million in total school aid; $88.8 million is total foundation aid.
Marathon Central School District will receive $17,175,689 from the New York State budget. This money is allocated as follows:
Foundation Aid: $11,950,658
Transportation Aid: $1,265,383
Building and Building Reorganization Incentive Aid: $1,804,501
BOCES Aid: $1,414,284
Universal Pre-K (UPK) Aid: $331,003
High Cost Excess Cost Aid: $294,414
Private Excess Cost Aid: $54,454
Hardware & Technology Aid: $12,791
Software, Library, & Textbook Aid: $48,201
The budget allocated more money than initially expected toward education. The budget presentation given on May 11 projected $16,873,026 in state aid. The state aid forms the baseline of the district's budget, but not all of it. MCSD is currently in a $3 million deficit. Getting more state aid will be a small step toward addressing it. The next BOE meeting is August 5 and is sure to continue the discussion on how to manage this crisis.
The budget also included a 5-year delay of the Electric Vehicle Bus Mandate to allow schools time to transition from diesel buses.
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