The Regents just released its 2009-10 proposal on state aid to school districts, recommending an $879 million — or  4.1 percent — increase in aid over the previous year, for a total of approximately $22.2 billion.

This number represents $1 billion less than had been previously enacted by the state.

The aid would be allocated as follows: 44 percent would go towards the New York City School District, 13 percent to the Big Four City Schools Districts, 8 percent to high need urban/suburban districts, 13 percent to high need rural districts and 22 percent to average and low need districts.

Highlights of the plan include:

• The amount allocated towards High Tax Aid, which goes to districts with a particularly high property-tax burden, is now at $50 million — a cut of $155 million from the previous year.

• Support for pupils with disabilities would rise $85 million, to $764 million.

• BOCES/Career and Technical Education aid would increase $10 million, to $879 million.

• The plan calls for a $61 million increase to continue the expansion of Universal Pre-Kindergarten. Locally, however, many districts have not been able to take advantage of that aid because they do not have UPK programs and do not plan to add them any time soon. (All the districts in Rockland, I’m told, use the money.)

• The Regents recommends continued implementation of the Contracts for Excellence accountability requirements, which tie a district’s extra state funding to specific goals.

“Economic necessity prompts innovation. Our proposal recommends sustaining foundation aid while reducing the increase by half, greatly reducing the State’s deficit,” Regents Chancellor Robert M. Bennett said in a press release. “We are keenly aware of the State’s economic difficulties.  We also know that we must continue to educate all children to high standards, close the achievement gap, and get more students to graduate. And we must do all of this without shifting the financial burden to local governments. Our proposal will accomplish those goals.”

Click here for the full Regents proposal.