STATE AID

School districts which are components of a BOCES are eligible for BOCES Aid. BOCES receive State Aid on behalf of their districts for approved services costs, administration and capital costs, including facility rental and construction.

BOCES Operating Aid provides reimbursement for base year service costs and administration costs, with the following limitations:

4 Administration costs for the purposes of receiving aid may not exceed ten percent of the BOCES total expenditures.

4 Service costs are aidable only to the extent that they are approved for aid; some costs are not eligible for aid.

4 An employee's annualized salary is aidable up to $30,000; any amount above the ceiling does not generate aid.

4 Expenditures for the education of students with disabilities are not eligible for BOCES Aid. Public School Excess Cost Aid is provided directly to the district of residence for students with disabilities educated in a BOCES class.

4 All expenditures associated with transportation are not eligible for BOCES Aid. Transportation Aid is provided directly to the district for any transportation service.

BOCES Operating Aid is calculated separately for each district by applying to approved service and administration expenses for the base (prior) year, an aid ratio based on a millage formula or on a district's full value formula, whichever is higher, with a minimum of .360 and a maximum of .900.

BOCES Facilities and Rent Aid is paid for approved expenditures for facility construction, purchase or lease. There is no choice of aid ratio; all aid is calculated on the basis of district full value and approved expenses. There is no minimum ratio as in BOCES Aid for service and administration. Therefore, very wealthy districts do not receive Facilities Aid. Approved expenses are aided in the current year, rather than the prior year, as in administration and services.

A few districts receive BOCES Aid on the basis of Save-Harmless. The amount of total BOCES Aid apportioned to a member district of a BOCES cannot be less than was apportioned to the district during the 1967-68 school year. If a district's current payment of aid for services is calculated to be less than the aid received in 1967-68, the district would receive aid equal to that which it received in 1967-68.

BOCES Aid is calculated by BOCES staff for each component district of the BOCES and verified by State Education Department staff. The sum of the aids due is paid directly to the BOCES and not to the component districts. The BOCES is obligated to refund an amount equal to the aid received on behalf of each component school district to the components.

N.B. Aid for capital expense is based on budgeted 2000-01 expense, rather than 1999-00 expense.

* BOCES Aid will not be calculated for 2001-02. The amount payable to each BOCES is the sum of amounts from the 01-02 Executive Budget Proposal (BT 032-1) under the heading BOCES and Special Services 01-02 for its component districts.

* In accordance with Chapter 149 of the Laws of 2001, for aid payable in the 2001-02 school year, in lieu of aid computed in accordance with Section 1950 and Sections 3602 and 3609, most school districts received an amount of aid based on the amount of the previous year with a few minor adjustments. However, for school districts with less than eight teachers (7) and districts created by a Special Act of the Legislature (16, two of which are non-operating), aid was computed in accordance with Sections 1950, 3602 and 3609. Therefore, the above chart displays aid by BOCES generated from the expenses of the less than eight teacher and Special Act school districts.