What's happening
This bill allows special act school districts to create fiscal reserve funds and retain limited surplus funds, and guarantees certain education funding increases.
Why it matters
Allows special act school districts to create fiscal stabilization reserve funds. , enabling them to set aside money for future financial uncertainties—this can help ensure continuity of services and planning for unexpected expenses or revenue shortfalls.
Permits special act and certain private schools for students with disabilities to retain a small percentage of surplus funds (up to 1% annually, not exceeding 4% in total). , rather than returning all unspent funds; this encourages long-term financial stability and gives these schools more flexibility to address ongoing or emergent needs.
Requires transparent annual reporting on the use and balance of retained surplus funds. , promoting accountability and allowing the state to monitor how these resources are managed and spent.
Guarantees that these specialized schools will receive at least the same percentage increase in state funding as general public schools. , which provides predictability and parity in funding, helping them better meet the needs of vulnerable student populations.
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Who cares
Special act school districts
The bill would authorize fiscal stabilization reserve funds and guarantee aid increases at least equal to the percentage increase in general support for public schools beginning in 2018–19.
Approved private schools serving students with disabilities
In-state residential and non-residential schools could retain excess tuition funds annually up to 1% of allowable and reimbursable costs, with accumulated balances capped at 4% and annual reporting required.
Other covered educational facilities, institutions and programs
The bill would guarantee these providers the same minimum percentage aid increase as general support for public schools beginning in 2018–19.
State budget director and education commissioner
The budget director, consulting with the commissioner, would establish permitted uses of retained funds through the approved tuition methodology.
Headline styles
Stabilize Special School Funding
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
No co-sponsors yet.
History
- Referred to education
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
10762
IN ASSEMBLY
May 17, 2018
Introduced by M. of A. NOLAN -- read once and referred to the Committee on Education
AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to funding for special act school districts
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Section 4004 of the education law is amended by adding a new subdivision 5 to read as follows:
5. The board of education of a special act school district shall be authorized to establish a fiscal stabilization reserve fund. There may be paid into such fund an amount as may be provided pursuant to the requirements of paragraph k of subdivision four of section forty-four hundred five of this title.
§ 2. Subdivision 4 of section 4405 of the education law is amended by adding a new paragraph k to read as follows:
k. (i) The tuition methodology established pursuant to this subdivision for the two thousand seventeen--two thousand eighteen school year and annually thereafter shall authorize approved private residential or non-residential schools for the education of students with disabilities that are located within the state, and special act school districts, to retain funds in excess of their allowable and reimbursable costs incurred for services and programs provided to school-age students. The amount of funds that may be annually retained shall not exceed one percent of the school's or school district's total allowable and reimbursable costs for services and programs provided to school-age students for the school year from which the funds are to be retained; provided that the total accumulated balance that may be retained shall not exceed four percent of such total costs for such school year. Funds may be expended only pursuant to an authorization of the governing board of the school or school district, for a purpose expressly authorized as part of the approved tuition methodology for the year in which the funds are to be expended. The director of the budget, in consultation with the commissioner, shall establish the authorized uses for the expenditures of such funds as part of the approved tuition methodology. Any school or
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD15919-01-8
A. 10762 2
school district that retains funds pursuant to this paragraph shall be required to annually report a statement of the total balance of any such retained funds, the amount, if any, retained in the prior school year, an amount, if any, dispersed in the prior school year, and any additional information requested by the department as part of the financial reports that are required to be annually submitted to the department.
(ii) Notwithstanding any law to the contrary, a special act school district, as authorized under article eighty-one of this title, or an educational or residential facility, as authorized by chapter eight hundred fifty-three of the laws of nineteen hundred seventy-six, an educational institution as authorized under article eighty-five of this title, or a program authorized by this article, for aid payable for the two thousand eighteen--two thousand nineteen school year and thereafter, shall receive at minimum, the same percentage increase as that of general support for public schools as enacted in the state budget when compared to the enacted state budget in the base year.
§ 3. This act shall take effect immediately.
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.