Enacts the interstate compact on educational opportunity for military children

5 Co-sponsors

• John A. DeFrancisco
• William J. Larkin Jr.
• George D. Maziarz
• Thomas F. O'Mara
• Lee M. Zeldin

BILL NUMBER:S1213A

Title of bill

An act to amend the education law, in relation to enacting the interstate compact on educational opportunity for military children

Purpose or general idea of bill

It is the purpose of this compact to remove barriers to educational success imposed on children of military families because of frequent moves and deployment of their parents

Justification

Military families move between postings on a regular basis. While reassignments can often be a boon for career personnel, they usually play havoc with the children of military families -- losing and making new friends, adjusting to new cities and bases and changing schools. While the armed services has taken great leaps to ease the transition of personnel, their spouses and, most importantly, children, much remains to be done at the state and local levels to ensure that the children of military families are afforded that same opportunities for educational success as other children and are not penalized or delayed in achieving their educational goals by inflexible administrative and bureaucratic practices.

The average military student faces transition challenges more than twice during high school and most military children will have six to nine different school systems in their lives from kindergarten to 12th grade. With more than half of all military personnel supporting families, the impacts of reassignment and long deployments are a key consideration when making long-term life choices.

Specific impacts on military children include: 1. Transfer of records 2. Course sequencing 3. Graduation requirements 4. Exclusion from extracurricular activities 5. Redundant or missed entrance/exit testing 6. Kindergarten and First Grade entrance age variations, and 7. Power of custodial parents while parents are deployed.

The new Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Children addresses these issues as well as compact enforcement, administration, finances, communications, data sharing and training. The new compact establishes an independent compact operating authority, The Interstate Commission, which will be positioned to address future interstate problems and issues as they arise. The development of interstate and intrastate solutions to these issues is of paramount importance to military families. While armed services personnel are serving our country, their children may, more often than not, be adversely affected by these and other educational policies. While many states and communities have responded on an ad hoc basis to ease the shift of military children, no comprehensive policy approach exists to improve the long term educational transitions and outcomes of this constituency.

Prior legislative history

2010 - S.5805/A.8288-A -- PASSED SENATE/Education

2011-2012 - S.2538-A/A.2141-A - PASSED SENATE/Education

Fiscal implications fiscal implications

New York as a member of the compact will share in the expenses of the Commission established to oversee its implementation. The Commission may levy on and collect an annual assessment from each member state to cover the costs of the Commission. Amount to be determined according to number of participating students. The current cost to New York State would be $1 per student or approximately $14,500 per year.

Effective date

This bill will take effect immediately.