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New York led the nation in K-12 education spending per pupil in 2006-07, according to .  The Empire State's school spending of $15,981 per pupil was 65 percent above the national average of $9,666.  New York's total school spending of nearly $51 bi Read More

The first quarter update to New York State's 2009-10 financial plan will be released by the Governor's sometime this week.   The plan is expected to reflect the potential for a significant deficit this year, and worsening budget shortfalls in the Read More

Earlier this week, Streetsblog had of a House bill that would allow regional transit agencies such as New York's MTA to spend up to 30 percent of their federal grants on operating costs. Under current law, federal money goes toward capital investm Read More

New York scores a mediocre number 36 on Based on 40 measures of competitiveness grouped into 10 categories, the Empire State ranked dead last in "Cost of Business" and "Workforce," the latter apparently weighted heavily by New York's high unionizatio Read More

From of New York City's 2010 Financial Plan, a chart of actual spending growth from 2001 through 2008, and projected growth through 2013. Read More

In a debate yesterday, Brooklyn City Councilman David Yassky was the only one of four candidates for city comptroller to say that Albany should consider legislating a less generous pension tier for public-sector workers even without union support of Read More

Between fiscal years 2002 and 2007, New York City's tax revenues increased by 74 percent, to $37.8 billion (really, see ).* A new by Washington's Government Accountability Office (GAO) helps show why. Read More

The net flow of funds from New York State to Washington was a famous obsession of the late , who collaborated on an (nicknamed "The Fisc") to track the numbers.   Today, the federal government issued its annual accounting of one side of that ledge Read More

Gov. Paterson has a that would have weakened oversight power of the Buffalo Fiscal Stabilization Authority.   As the Buffalo News , this was the second legislative attempt in the past year to remove the city from "hard" control status, w Read More

Detroit's school system may soon follow GM and Chrysler into bankruptcy -- and it may be only the first of many such public-sector insolvencies around the country.  Some experts say the Detroit case could be the first in a string of Ch Read More