Allows school districts and BOCES units to provide administrative services together

2 Co-sponsors

• Hugh T. Farley
• Suzi Oppenheimer

BILL NUMBER:S4663A

Title of bill

An act to amend the education law, in relation to authorizing school districts and boards of cooperative educational services to enter into agreements or contracts with each other to perform the same functions and provide the same services that each is authorized to perform or provide

Purpose or general idea of bill

To encourage improved economies of scale and cost efficiencies in how administrative services are provided in school districts and BOCES units around New York State.

Summary of specific provisions

Section 1 would amend the Education Law by adding a new Section 1510-a expressly authorizing the sharing of school administrative services.

Sections 2 & 3 would amend Section 1604 and 1709 of the Education Law to provide language that would authorize school districts or boards of cooperative educational services to have the option to agree or contract with and between each other to provide the same administrative services that each is authorized to perform or provide.

Section 4 of the bill would amend the Education Law by adding "administration" and "transportation" to the list of aidable shared services.

Justification

Costs associated with education in public schools continue to rise, even as our state, local governments and school districts struggle to maintain sound budgets in this economic downturn.

Rather than simply rely on "top-down approaches to meeting the challenge of quality, affordable education, it is incumbent on the state to offer greater flexibility and more tools that give communities an array of choices. This bill would work in that direction by allowing schools and BOCES units to proactively centralize administrative duties and seek potential efficiencies to the benefit of local property tax payers.

Prior legislative history

2010: A.11285 died in Assembly Education Committee (similar)

Fiscal implications for state and local governments

School districts and BOCES units spend millions of dollars annually in providing similar administrative services in close proximity to one another - sometimes in the same communities. By allowing them to consolidate administrative functions, participating entities could reduce operational costs, and ultimately reduce the amount of money needed from the taxpayers to support these functions.

This legislation serves as an example of a genuine effort to control-local spending through the consolidation of services. It is

anticipated that there will be substantial annual savings for districts that opt into this model. Conservatively, school districts could see immediate savings, with small rural schools in limited taxing jurisdictions realizing upwards of 5% reductions in their property tax levies on an annual basis.

Effective date

This act would take effect immediately.