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History
- Print number 1580a
- Amend and recommit to education
- Referred to education
- Referred to education
Full text
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Sponsor's memo
BILL NUMBER:S1580A
Title of bill
An act to amend the education law, in relation to the expenditure of pre-kindergarten program grant funds
Purpose
The Universal Prekindergarten Program (UPK) is a State-funded program that provides educationally-based high-quality prekindergarten to four year old children. UPK programs operate for a minimum of 2 1/2 hours per day for five days a week during the school year. This legislation would provide school districts with greater flexibility in the use of their unexpended UPK grants to maximize the number of children who are served.
Summary of provisions
Section 1 would permit a school district which is eligible to receive a UPK grant but unable to fill all of their funded slots the ability to utilize unexpended grant money to create full-day slots, and support the cost of transporting pre-k students.
Section 2 would revise a Maintenance of Effort (MOE) requirement that penalizes school districts that provide supplemental funding to serve more students than their UPK grant permits by reducing state aid if they serve fewer students in a subsequent year.
Justification
Early education programs provide a strong foundation for at-risk children. Research has shown that children who are enrolled in high quality pre-kindergarten programs are less likely to require special education services, repeat grades or drop out of school. However, full implementation of UPK has not been realized.
Approximately 220 school districts in the state have yet to implement UPK due primarily to restrictions in how the funding is used. Information reported to the state Education Department has indicated that uncertainty about funding; insufficient per-pupil allocations; parental desire for full-day programs; and the lack of transportation for pre-k program are all barriers to full enrollment. The City of New York was unable to use over $25 million in UPK funding in the 2008-2009 SFY, due to these restrictions. This legislation would allow school districts to more fully utilize their UPK grant and remove disincentives for districts to serve additional students when economically possible.
Legislative history
S.6777 of 2009-10 - Passed Senate
Fiscal implications
None.
Effective date
July 1, 2013
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.