What's happening
This bill excludes the value of state forest preserve lands in the Adirondack and Catskill parks from school aid calculations.
Why it matters
School districts with large areas of state-owned forest preserve land (in the Adirondack or Catskill parks) would no longer have those lands counted as part of their local property wealth for school aid purposes, which could make them appear less wealthy and therefore eligible for more state aid.
This change addresses longstanding concerns that the presence of untaxable, state-owned land artificially inflates district property values, reducing state funding and potentially leading to higher taxes or reduced services in affected communities.
The bill could shift state education funding toward rural and small-town districts in the Adirondacks and Catskills, possibly increasing their resources but also slightly altering how aid is distributed statewide.
By excluding these lands, the legislation may help preserve local control and support the financial stability of school districts with significant state landholdings, which often have limited ability to raise local revenue.
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Who cares
School districts containing Adirondack or Catskill forest preserve lands
The bill would exclude those state lands from the property valuation used to determine their state school aid.
Central high school districts with affected component districts
Their actual valuation would reflect the exclusion because it is calculated by adding their component districts’ valuations.
State education aid administrators
They would need to apply the forest preserve exclusion when calculating school district valuations for state aid.
Headline styles
Exclude Forest Land from Aid
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
1 Co-sponsor
History
- Referred to education
- Referred to education
Companion bill
The same bill in the other chamber. A bill becomes law when one version passes both houses and the governor signs it, so either number can carry it.
Exclude Forest Land from Aid
In Assembly Committee · Education · Sponsor Aileen Gunther
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
2526
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
January 28, 2019
Introduced by Sens. LITTLE, SEWARD -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Education
AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to excluding the valuation of state forest preserve lands, within the Adirondack and Catskill parks, from the definition of "actual valuation" for purposes of apportionment of state moneys to school districts
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Paragraph c of subdivision 1 of section 3602 of the education law, as amended by section 11 of part B of chapter 57 of the laws of 2007, is amended to read as follows:
c. "Actual valuation" shall mean the valuation of taxable real property in a school district obtained by taking the assessed valuation of taxable real property within such district as it appears upon the assessment roll of the town, city, village, or county in which such property is located, for the calendar year two years prior to the calendar year in which the base year commenced, after revision as provided by law, and dividing it by the state equalization rate as determined by the state board of [equalization and assessment] real property tax services, for the assessment roll of such town, city, village, or county completed during such preceding calendar year; provided, however, that the actual valuation of a school district shall not include the valuation of any real property within a state forest preserve that is either in the Adirondack park or the Catskill park. The actual valuation of a central high school district shall be the sum of such valuations of its component districts. Such actual valuation shall include any actual valuation equivalent of payments in lieu of taxes determined pursuant to section four hundred eighty-five of the real property tax law. "Selected actual valuation" shall mean the lesser of actual valuation calculated for aid payable in the current year or the two-year average of the actual valu-
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD00414-01-9
S. 2526 2
ation calculated for aid payable in the current year and the actual valuation calculated for aid payable in the base year.
§ 2. This act shall take effect on the first of April next succeeding the date on which it shall have become a law.
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to amend the education law, in relation to excluding the valu- ation of state forest preserve lands, within the Adirondack and Catskill parks, from the definition of "actual valuation" for purposes of appor- tionment of state moneys to school districts
Purpose
Excludes the value of state forest preserve lands in the Adirondack and Catskill parks from use in the determination of state aid to school districts
Summary of provisions
Section 1 - Amends paragraph c of subdivision 1 of section 3602 of the laws of 2007 to amend the definition of "actual valuation"
Section 2 - Contains the effective date
Justification
School districts with large portions of state forest preserve within their district lines often are perceived of being wealthier than the actual value of privately owned lands. A good example of this is the Wells School District in Hamilton County. Their full equalization rate for 2011 was $387.2 million while the value of state forest preserve was $254 million, which represents 65.6% of the total district value. This bill aims to give a district a better representation of the wealth of a given district.
Legislative history
2017-18: S.388/A.476: Referred to Education; Referred to Education 2015-16: S.822 Referred to Education; A.1179 Referred to Education 2014 S. 997 Referred to Education; A. 5122 Referred to Education 2013 S. 997 Committed to Finance; A. 5122 Referred to Education 2011 S. 7221 Referred to education
Fiscal implications
To be determined.
Local fiscal implications
To be determined
Effective date
This act shall take effect on the first of April next succeeding the date on which it shall have become law.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.