What's happening
This bill requires all public and charter schools in New York to report and publicly share student enrollment numbers three times a year.
Why it matters
Increases transparency and accountability. By requiring regular, public reporting of student enrollment numbers, the bill makes it easier for parents, taxpayers, and policymakers to monitor population changes, spot trends, and hold schools accountable for their stated enrollment.
Supports equitable resource allocation. Consistent, standardized reporting ensures that funding and resources—often distributed based on enrollment—are based on up-to-date and reliable data, helping to prevent under- or over-funding of individual schools.
Aids in identifying demographic shifts and potential issues. Frequent enrollment data can reveal patterns such as unexpected drops or spikes in student numbers, which might signal problems like student attrition, school closures, or sudden community changes requiring a policy response.
Applies equally to public and charter schools. By mandating the same reporting standards for both public and charter schools, the bill promotes fairness and comparability, making it easier to assess and compare school performance and enrollment trends across the entire public education sector.
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Who cares
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Sponsors
No co-sponsors yet.
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.
Require Schools Report Enrollment
In Assembly Committee · Education · Sponsor Tremaine Wright
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
5259
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
April 18, 2019
Introduced by Sen. LIU -- 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 mandatory student enrollment reporting
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. The education law is amended by adding a new section 319 to read as follows:
§ 319. Mandatory student enrollment reporting. 1. All public schools located within the state, regardless of level, shall report the number of students enrolled in such school to the department triennially, on October thirty-first, January thirty-first, and April thirtieth of each year.
2. Each report shall be accompanied with supporting documentation of such enrollment. For purposes of this section, the commissioner shall determine what supporting documentation is necessary.
3. Each report shall be published and publicly shared on the school district's website within one week of submission to the department.
4. For purposes of this section, "enrollment" shall mean the unduplicated count of all children registered to receive educational services in grades kindergarten through twelve, including children in ungraded programs.
§ 2. Section 2854 of the education law is amended by adding a new subdivision 4 to read as follows:
4. Mandatory student enrollment reporting. (a) All charter schools located within the state shall report the number of students enrolled to the department triennially, on October thirty-first, January thirtyfirst, and April thirtieth of each year.
(b) Each report shall be accompanied with supporting documentation of such enrollment. For purposes of this section, the commissioner shall determine what supporting documentation is necessary.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD00622-01-9
S. 5259 2
(c) Each report shall be published and publicly shared on the charter school's website within one week of submission to the department.
(d) For purposes of this subdivision, "enrollment" shall mean the unduplicated count of all children registered to receive educational services in grades kindergarten through twelve, including children in ungraded programs.
§ 3. This act shall take effect on the sixtieth day after 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 mandatory student enrollment reporting
Purpose or general idea of bill
The purpose of this bill is to make mandatory student enrollment report- ing from both public and charter schools three times a year (October 31", January 31' and April 30m)
Summary of specific provisions
Section 1: Amended by adding a new
Section 319 Section 2: Amended by adding a new subdivision 4
Justification
This legislation would mandate that all schools report the number of students enrolled in their school on October 31st , January 31st and April 30'. This data would thereafter be publicly shared on the school district websites.
This information will help school district track the movement of student within their district in a timely manner. There is a growing demand amongst parents and community stakeholders to create a greater degree of transparency regarding school administration and in particular a school's ability to meet the demands of high need students.
With quarterly census information our school districts will be better able to manage resources.
Fiscal implications for state and local governments
Unknown.
Effective date
This act shall take effect on the sixteenth day after it shall become a law.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.