What's happening
This bill prohibits the Commissioner of Education from waiving superintendent qualifications for New York City’s school district leader or chancellor.
Why it matters
Ensures that only candidates who fully meet state-established qualifications can serve as New York City's school district superintendent or chancellor. , potentially increasing the emphasis on educational credentials and experience for these top roles.
Removes flexibility previously available to the Commissioner of Education to grant waivers or exceptions. for superintendent qualifications in New York City, which could limit the pool of eligible candidates and prevent the appointment of nontraditional leaders.
Aligns New York City’s rules with stricter statewide standards. , possibly reflecting concerns about local control, political appointments, or the desire for consistency in educational leadership requirements across all districts.
May impact future recruitment and succession planning for NYC public schools. , as it restricts the ability to hire individuals who bring unique skills or experiences but lack specific state certifications.
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Who cares
Headline styles
No Waivers for School Chancellor
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
No co-sponsors yet.
History
- Referred to new york city education
- Committee discharged and committed to new york city 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.
No Waivers for Chancellor
In Assembly Committee · Education · Sponsor Walter T. Mosley
Full text
1 pageUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
738
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE (Prefiled)
January 9, 2019
Introduced by Sen. MONTGOMERY -- 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 New York city school district superintendent waivers by the commissioner of education
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Section 3003 of the education law is amended by adding a new subdivision 6 to read as follows:
6. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the commissioner shall not issue a waiver from the requirements of subdivision one of this section to any person nominated to exercise the powers described in section twenty-five hundred ninety-h of this chapter and who is known as the superintendent or chancellor of the New York city school district, nor shall the commissioner grant a school district leader certificate to an individual who fails to meet the requirements of such subdivision.
§ 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD03500-01-9
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 New York city school district superintendent waivers by the commissioner of education
Purpose
To ensure that the education commissioner cannot issue a waiver allowing an unqualified individual to be appointed to the position of chancellor of the New York City school district.
Summary of provisions
This bill amends section 3003 of the education law by adding a new subdivision 6. The new subdivision 6 would bar the education commission- er from issuing a waiver from the qualifications required for a person to serve as the superintendent or chancellor of the NYC school district.
Existing law
Under current law, a superintendent of a school district must have completed sixty semester hours in graduate courses approved by the commissioner, and must have completed three years of teaching experience satisfactory to the commissioner in public or non-public schools. Furthermore, the candidate for superintendent must have successfully (1) completed a New York State program (or its equivalent if out of state) leading to a professional certificate as a school district leader in the educational leadership service, or (2) performed on the New York State assessment for school district leadership.
When a candidate lacks those educational or experiential requirements, the commissioner of education may nonetheless issue a superintendent's certificate for that candidate. The commissioner is empowered to grant an exception (waiver) to the education or experience requirements if he finds that the candidate has "exceptional training and experience" which are the "substantial equivalent of such requirements."
Although the commissioner's regulations clearly state that the request for the professional certificate must come from the board, there is a strong argument that the mayoral control statute presumes that the authority to request a waiver would rest with the Mayor.
Justification
This legislation will ensure that only qualified professionals in the education field are appointed to the position of Chancellor/Superintendent of the New York City school district, the largest public school district in the State of New York. Under current law, these qualifications can be waived, resulting in disastrous conse- quences for school children when major education-related decisions are made by unqualified individuals. By prohibiting waivers and thus remov- ing mayoral control over the selection of the chancellor, we can ensure that the leader of NYC schools is truly qualified to work in the educa- tion system.
Legislative history
2011-2012: S.7398 - Died in Committee,
2013-2014: S.1408 Referred to Education
Fiscal implications
None.
Effective date
This act shall take effect immediately.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.