Enacts the school population projection and transparency act

2 Co-sponsors

• Bill Perkins
• Malcolm A. Smith

BILL NUMBER:S7873

Title of bill

An act to amend the public authorities law, in relation to authorizing the New York city school construction authority to obtain certain population data and utilize such data in connection with the authority's five-year educational facilities capital plan; and to amend the education law, in relation to requiring consideration of student population data in connection with approval of five-year educational facilities capital plans and to require the publication of findings and commentary on such plan

Purpose or general idea of bill

This bill will require the New York City School Construction Authority (SCA) to factor and account for student population projections when developing five-year educational facilities capital plans and when developing site plans.

Summary of specific provisions

Section 1 of the bill would authorize the SCA to access certain information from other city agencies in order to develop student population projections. The SCA would have to use such projections in the creation of the five-year educational facilities capital plan.

Section 2 of the bill would require the SCA to include data on population growth in site plans, explain the reason the proposed action is necessary, and how such plan factors and accounts for student population projections.

Section 3 of the bill would require the chancellor's five-year educational facilities capital plan to take into account the effect of the projected student population data and other data that the SCA has received pursuant to section 1 of this bill.

Section 4 of the bill would require the chancellor to explain how each project included in the approved five-year educational facilities capital plan factors and accounts for the projected student population data and other data that the SCA has received pursuant to section 1 of this bill.

Sections 5 and 6 of the bill would require the board of education to make public a summary of the issues raised at the hearing by the community education council, the reasons why any significant alternative recommendations at such hearing were or were not incorporated in the final plan, and a description of any changes made to the proposed plan as a result of the issues raised at such hearing.

Section 7 would provide for an immediate effective date.

Justification

Requiring the NYC school construction authority and the Chancellor of the NYC school district to factor and account for population growth when developing the five year educational facilities capital plan and determining the location of construction projects will help to address the serious overcrowding problems in NYC. The SCA and the Chancellor have a duty to not only consider the current school population in neighborhoods across the City, but also to consider the future populations of those neighborhoods when making important construction decisions.

Prior legislative history

New bill.

Fiscal implications

Undetermined.

Effective date

Immediate.