What's happening
This bill creates a temporary advisory council to recommend how to establish regional high schools in New York State.
Why it matters
Addresses educational inequities. The advisory council is tasked with exploring how regional high schools might be used to increase student access to a broader array of curricular and extracurricular opportunities, especially benefiting students in under-resourced or smaller districts.
Considers operational and financial impacts. The council will look into administrative efficiencies, tuition reimbursement, transportation logistics, and economic considerations, which could affect local budgets, district staffing, and the overall sustainability of regional high schools.
Focus on inclusion and diversity. The council is directed to account for the needs of students with disabilities and English language learners, ensuring that recommendations do not overlook vulnerable student populations.
Potential to reshape partnerships and policy. By examining models from across the nation and considering partnerships with higher education and workforce organizations, the council’s work could lead to significant shifts in how secondary education is delivered and governed in New York.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Create Regional School Council
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
No co-sponsors yet.
History
- Referred to education
- Referred to education
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
6485
2017-2018 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
May 24, 2017
Introduced by Sen. MARCELLINO -- (at request of the State Education Department) -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Education
AN ACT to direct the commissioner of education to establish a regional secondary school advisory council to make recommendations on the establishment of regional secondary high schools and providing for the repeal of such provisions upon expiration thereof
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. 1. The commissioner of education shall establish a temporary regional secondary advisory council, which shall develop recommendations for legislative proposals for the establishment of regional high schools. Such advisory council shall be comprised of eleven members, of whom, two shall be appointed upon the recommendation of the governor, two shall be appointed upon the recommendation of the temporary president of the senate, two shall be appointed upon the recommendation of the speaker of the assembly, one member of the board of regents and/or his or her designee and the remaining members shall be either certified teachers, principals, superintendents from rural, urban and suburban school districts and/or district superintendents of boards of cooperative educational services appointed by the commissioner of education. The commissioner of education shall appoint a chair of the advisory council. The members of the advisory council shall represent the diversity of school environments that exists throughout the state and shall have demonstrated experience with expertise in one or more of the following areas: the use of regional educational services, teaching, administration in secondary schools, or regional transportation.
2. The recommendations of the advisory council shall include, but not be limited to:
(a) recommendations for legislative proposals to establish regional high schools in certain areas of the state;
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD11382-02-7
S. 6485 2
(b) best practices and model school district policies from throughout the state and nation relating to regional educational services that may be considered by the state and school districts in implementation of regional high schools;
(c) methods using regional secondary programming to maximize student access to a wide range of curricular opportunities to best prepare students for post-secondary opportunities and the workforce;
(d) recommendations for the delivery of regional educational services, including tuition reimbursement, the issuance of degrees in regional high schools when there are multiple sending districts, the role of boards of cooperative educational services, employees in the regional high schools; transportation issues, economic and administrative efficiencies and services for students with disabilities and English language learners;
(e) partnerships with institutions of higher education and other relevant stakeholders for workforce opportunities in regional high schools; and
(f) any other recommendations the council feels necessary to successfully implement regional high schools in certain areas of this state.
§ 2. The members of the advisory council shall receive no compensation for their services, but shall be allowed their actual and necessary expenses incurred in the performance of their duties pursuant to this act, provided that the advisory council shall be authorized to conduct meetings in a manner that minimizes travel and costs as determined by the commissioner of education.
§ 3. The advisory committee shall submit a final report of its recommendations to the Board of Regents, the governor, the temporary president of the senate, the speaker of the assembly and the chairs of the education committees in the assembly and senate on or before the first of October two thousand eighteen.
§ 4. This act shall take effect immediately and shall expire and be deemed repealed October 1, 2018.
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to direct the commissioner of education to establish a regional secondary school advisory council to make recommendations on the establishment of regional secondary high schools and providing for the repeal of such provisions upon expiration thereof
Purpose of the bill
The purpose of the bill is to establish a temporary advisory council to develop recommendations for legislative proposals for the establishment of regional secondary schools. The advisory council will report their recommendations to the Legislature by October 1, 2018.
Summary of provisions
Section 1 of the bill establishes a temporary regional secondary schools advisory council to develop recommendations for legislative proposals for the establishment of regional secondary schools. The bill requires the council to be comprised of 11 members, two of which shall be appointed by the Governor, two upon recommendation of the Temporary President of the Senate, two upon recommendation of the Speaker of the Assembly, one member of the Board of Regents, and the remaining members shall be either certified teachers, principals, superintendents from rural, urban and suburban school districts and/or district superintendents of boards of cooperative educational services appointed by the Commissioner. Such members shall have demonstrated expertise in one or more of the following areas: the use of regional educational services, teaching or administration in secondary schools or regional transportation. The advisory council is directed to provide recommendations on: (1) best practices and model school district policies from throughout the state to be considered, (2) methods to use regional secondary programming to maximize student access to a wide range of curricular opportunities to best prepare students for post-secondary opportunities or the workforce; (3) the delivery of regional educational services; (4) partnerships with institutions of higher education and other relevant stakeholders for workforce opportunities in regional high schools; and (5) any other recommendations the council feels necessary to successfully implement regional high schools in certain areas of the state.
Read the full memo (706 words)
Section 3 requires the advisory committee to submit a final report of its recommendations to the Governor, the Temporary President of the Senate, the Speaker of the Assembly and the Charis of the education committees in the Senate and Assembly by October 1, 2018.
Section 4 is the effective date.
Statement in support of the bill
In light of fiscal constraints, many school districts are at risk of not being able to meet their fiscal obligations and/or are facing educational insolvency due to cuts to critical personnel and programs. Much of the fiscal and educational pressure on districts is at the secondary level.
Current state law has limited options for school districts to create and sustain high quality collaborative secondary schools allowing only the creation of central high school districts, regional high schools in Suffolk County and Tech Valley High School in the Capital Region.
School districts across the state need a mechanism to build collaborative secondary school partnerships that will provide greater educational services to better ensure that students graduate high school ready to succeed in college and careers-such as high quality science, technology, engineering and mathematics programs- through more cost-effective and efficient operational delivery.
This bill is necessary to establish a temporary advisory council comprised of educational experts in the field, including members of the Legislature, the Governor's office, educational experts and stakeholders to examine previously proposed legislation and identify barriers and areas of concern and recommendations for new legislative proposals based upon a review of regionalization models in other states and best practices. The advisory council will then identify potential models that would work in New York and make recommendations to the Board of Regents, the Department, the Legislature and the Governor's office by October 1, 2018 in order to seek enactment of the proposed legislation during the 2019 session.
Budgetary implications of the bill
The bill requires that advisory council members receive their actual and necessary expenses incurred in the performance of their duties, provided that the advisory council shall be authorized to conduct meetings in a manner that minimizes travel and costs as determined by the Commissioner.
Prior legislative history
This is a new bill.
Effective date
This bill shall take effect immediately and shall expire and be deemed repealed on October 1, 2018.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.