New York taxpayers paid nearly $19.7 billion in the 2024-25 academic year for the salaries of 263,868 educators, a recent Newsday report found – drawing outrage from analysts who argue such payouts are fiscally irresponsible.
“We see it in superintendent contracts, we see it in teacher contracts, we see it in police contracts,” said Ken Girardin, former research director for Albany’s Empire Center for Public Policy.
“There have been instances where payouts are so substantial that local governments go into debt and borrow to pay off these types of payments. The Legislature has the authority to limit this, and it would be entirely appropriate either to cap or prohibit certain types of payouts, in part because you are creating a future cost without setting aside adequate funds to pay for it.”
