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CONFERENCE OF BIG FIVE SCHOOL DISTRICTS
ALBANY, NY · EIN 141496326 · Form 990 · FY2023 · Small ($100K-$1M) · big5schools.org
revenue
$547K
expenses
$563K
net assets
$735K
employees
0
program ratio
84%
mission · from form 990

IDENTIFYING THE COMMON AND UNIQUE PROBLEMS OF THE LARGE CITY SCHOOL SYSTEMS AND TO PROMOTE THE SOLUTION OF THOSE PROBLEMS, PROVIDE OUR MEMBERS, WHICH REPRESENT THE INTERESTS OF OVER ONE MILLION SCHOOL CHILDREN, WITH INFORMATION AND TO PROVIDE RELEVANT INFORMATION TO THOSE HELPING TO SOLVE URBAN SCHOOL PROBLEMS.

profile · synthesized from sources

Membership organization representing New York State's largest urban school districts, including Buffalo, New York City, Rochester, Syracuse, Yonkers, Albany, Mount Vernon, and Utica. Founded in 1958, it advocates for equitable funding and policy solutions addressing the common challenges of high-poverty, diverse urban school systems. The organization serves over one million students by conducting research, providing data analysis, and engaging in advocacy at state and federal levels.

named programs · 3 · from sources

What they call their work

Advocacy and Policy Representation
Represents urban school districts before state and federal governmental entities, promoting budget initiatives and policy recommendations and responding to legislative proposals.
Data and Research Center
Collects, analyzes, and disseminates fiscal and programmatic data on urban education issues for member districts and stakeholders.
Public Information Campaign
Communicates with state and local media, networks with advocacy organizations, and promotes the needs and strengths of urban school districts.
activities · 4 groups

What they do

  • Education Policy Advocacy & Reform 1 activity
    • Advocacy for equitable and adequate school funding
      Advocates at the federal, state, and local levels for equitable and adequate school funding and high-quality education for students in urban districts, including through representation of the collective interests of New York State's eight largest urban school districts, which serve 46% of the state’s public school students.
  • Education Policy Research and Analysis 1 activity
    • Conducts fiscal and programmatic research on urban education
      Operates a data information center to collect, analyze, and share information, and conducts research on fiscal and programmatic issues affecting urban school systems to inform policy and practice.
  • Universal In-School Meal Service 1 activity
    • Provides school nutrition services
      Provides daily breakfast and lunch meals to public school students across multiple urban districts, with system-wide totals including over 546,000 lunches served daily in the largest district.
  • Student and Camp Transportation Services 1 activity
    • Provides student transportation services
      Provides daily transportation for public and non-public school students across urban school districts, including over 578,000 public school students and over 72,000 non-public school students system-wide in the largest district.
financials · form 990 · fy2023
revenue
Total revenue$547K
Contributions & grants$545K100%
Program service revenue$00%
Investment income$3K0%
Other revenue$0
expenses
Total expenses$563K
Program expenses84%
Admin / overhead16%
Fundraising0%
Salaries & benefits$407K
Grants paid out$0
Largest expense lineCompensation
balance sheet
Total assets$735K
Cash$725K
Investments$0
Liabilities$0
Net assets$735K
Liquid reserves15.5 mo
4 years on record · 2020–2023 · YoY revenue +2.3%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2023

Who runs it

paid leadership · 2
NameTitleHours/wkCompensation
JENNIFER K PYLE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR 40 $154K
KAMMY L GERVAIS DEPUTY DIRECTOR 40 $138K
relationships · 40

Who they work with

  • ASBO-NY Coalition — Partners with ASBO-NY in joint advocacy for Foundation Aid funding.
  • Albany City School District Partner — Affiliate member district with comparable demographics and fiscal challenges
  • Albany School District Coalition — Member district represented by the Conference of Big 5 School Districts.
  • Buffalo Public Schools Partner — Member district of the Conference of Big 5 School Districts
  • Buffalo Public Schools Partner — Member district of the Conference of Big Five School Districts.
  • Buffalo School District Coalition — Member district represented by the Conference of Big 5 School Districts.
  • City School District of Albany Partner — Member district of the Conference of Big Five School Districts.
  • Mount Vernon City School District Partner — Affiliate member district with comparable demographics and fiscal challenges
  • Mount Vernon City School District Partner — Member district of the Conference of Big Five School Districts, collaborating on shared educational initiatives.
  • Mount Vernon School District Coalition — Member district represented by the Conference of Big 5 School Districts.
  • NYC Public Schools Partner — Member district of the Conference of Big Five School Districts.
  • NYSCOSS Coalition — Collaborates with NYSCOSS on joint advocacy efforts related to Foundation Aid funding.
  • NYSSBA Coalition — Works alongside NYSSBA in advocating for full Foundation Aid funding.
  • New York City Department of Education Partner — Member district of the Conference of Big 5 School Districts
  • New York City School District Coalition — Member district represented by the Conference of Big 5 School Districts.
  • New York State Council of School Superintendents Coalition — Joint signatory on a public statement regarding Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives in schools.
  • New York State Council of School Superintendents Partner — Collaborated on a joint statement regarding Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Initiatives.
  • New York State Council of School Superintendents Partner — Relevant NYS education organization linked by the organization
  • New York State Education Department Government — Relevant NYS Education Website linked by the organization
  • New York State Government Government — Primary entity engaged in advocacy and policy discussions regarding state budget and legislative issues affecting large school districts.
  • New York State Parent Teacher Association Partner — Relevant NYS education organization linked by the organization
  • New York State School Boards Association Coalition — Joint signatory on a public statement regarding Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives in schools.
  • New York State School Boards Association Partner — Collaborated on a joint statement regarding Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Initiatives.
  • New York State School Boards Association Partner — Relevant NYS education organization linked by the organization
  • New York State United Teachers Partner — Relevant NYS education organization linked by the organization
  • Rochester City School District Network — Member district of the Conference of Big Five School Districts.
  • Rochester City School District Partner — Member district of the Conference of Big 5 School Districts
  • Rochester School District Coalition — Member district represented by the Conference of Big 5 School Districts.
  • Rural Schools Association of New York State Coalition — Joint signatory on a public statement regarding Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives in schools.
  • Rural Schools Association of New York State Partner — Collaborated on a joint statement regarding Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Initiatives.
+ 10 more
strategies · 3

How they approach the work

Named approaches extracted from this org’s sources. Where others share an approach, follow it to see the full set of orgs running it.

  • Collaborative Public Advocacy for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
    methodology: collaborative-advocacy
    By issuing joint public statements with partner education organizations, the organization advances DEI goals more effectively, because collective moral and institutional authority strengthens public legitimacy and policy impact.
  • Collective Advocacy for Policy and Funding Equity
    methodology: collective_advocacy
    By uniting the largest school districts in New York, the organization amplifies their influence to shape education policy and secure equitable funding, because a unified coalition has greater leverage in state-level advocacy than individual districts acting alone.
  • Information Sharing to Improve Urban Education Systems
    methodology: information-sharing_network
    By identifying common challenges across major urban districts and disseminating targeted insights, the organization improves problem-solving and policy development, because shared learning among peer systems accelerates effective responses to systemic challenges.