New York's Education Department did not award about $36 million set aside for four teacher-shortage grant programs between July 2019 and August 2025, according to a state comptroller's audit. Auditors said weak outreach and oversight limited the programs as schools face shortages in science, special education and career and technical education.
The state allocated $191 million to the programs, awarded $155 million and recorded about $118.9 million in spending, or 62% of the total allocation. Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli said the department should improve communication, monitoring and measurement of program results.
The audit comes as New York is expected to need 180,000 new teachers over the next decade. Large urban districts and rural schools have reported severe shortages that could increase class sizes and make it harder to meet student needs.
Participation was low even among eligible districts. In the 2022-26 Teachers of Tomorrow grant cycle, 27 of 609 eligible districts, about 4%, submitted applications.
Auditors also surveyed 692 districts outside New York City and received 244 responses. Of those respondents, 86% said they had not participated in the grant programs reviewed.
Among 210 nonparticipating districts, 190 said they were unaware of the programs and 164 wanted more information. Rural respondents cited lower salaries and limited housing as recruitment barriers, yet the audit found most did not know grants were available to support hiring efforts.
The comptroller's office recommended stronger tracking of grant spending and district participation, more outreach to schools and clearer reporting of outcomes to policymakers. It also called for performance measures that can show whether state money improves recruitment, retention, certification and workforce diversity.
The Education Department generally disagreed with the audit's findings and recommendations. It said the review did not fully account for the COVID-19 pandemic, staffing shortages, statutory limits and procurement rules that affected grant administration.
The department said it monitored programs through annual and interim reports, compliance reviews and other performance tracking. It agreed to strengthen performance metrics, expand workforce dashboards, increase outreach and formalize monitoring procedures.
DiNapoli said the unused funding and limited awareness show the state is not getting the full value of programs intended to address an urgent workforce problem. The complete audit and the Education Department's response are available through the comptroller's office.
FingerLakes1.com is the region’s leading all-digital news publication. The company was founded in 1998 and has been keeping residents informed for more than two decades. Have a lead? Send it to news@fingerlakes1.com.