What's happening
This bill provides additional state funding to both sending and receiving school districts that participate in a contract system for sharing pupils.
Why it matters
Encourages Cooperation Between School Districts. By offering additional state funding to both sending and receiving districts in contract pupil-sharing arrangements, the bill incentivizes districts to collaborate, which can help sustain educational opportunities in areas facing declining enrollment or limited resources.
Parallels Benefits of Full Reorganization. The extra aid provided is linked to the incentive operating aid that fully reorganized districts receive, giving contracting districts a financial benefit similar to that of merging, but without requiring a full consolidation—potentially making cooperation more politically or logistically feasible.
Supports Small or Rural Districts. Districts that might struggle to offer a full range of programs or maintain viable class sizes on their own would have more resources to do so through these contracts, directly benefiting students in under-resourced or rural areas.
May Improve Fiscal Efficiency. By encouraging shared services and pooling resources, the bill could help districts reduce redundant costs and make better use of state education funding, potentially leading to more efficient use of taxpayer dollars.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Boost Aid for Contract Schools
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
No co-sponsors yet.
History
- Referred to education
Full text
1 pageUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
997
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
January 10, 2019
Introduced by Sen. YOUNG -- 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 providing for state apportionments to school districts sending and receiving pupils pursuant to a contract system
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 2046 to read as follows:
§ 2046. Apportionments to school districts participating in a contract system. Both the receiving and sending school districts, which are parties to a contract established pursuant to this part, shall each receive an additional apportionment equal to one-half of the incentive operating aid a reorganized district would receive, pursuant to paragraphs d and d-1 of subdivision fourteen of section thirty-six hundred two of this chapter, to be determined as if such contracting school districts had reorganized.
§ 2. This act shall take effect on the first of July next succeeding the date on which it shall have become a law.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD03077-01-9
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 providing for state apportionments to school districts sending and receiving pupils pursuant to a contract system
Purpose or general idea of bill
To amend the Education Law to allow school districts participating in a contract system to receive incentive operating aid.
Summary of specific provisions
Section 1 amends the Education Law by adding a new section 2046, which would allow school districts participating in a contract system to receive one-half each of the incentive operating aid a reorganized district would receive, pursuant to paragraphs d and d-1 of subdivision fourteen of section thirty-six hundred two of the Education Law.
Section 2 provides that this act shall take effect on the first of July next succeeding the date on which it shall have become a law.
Justification
New York State public school enrollment continues to decline, especially in rural areas. According to the New York State Education Department, in 1998-1999, there were 2,808,395 students enrolled in public schools. By 2012-2013, enrollment had declined to 2,579,011 students. This repres- ents an 8.2k decrease in enrollment statewide. Western New York and the Southern Tier in particular continue to see sharp declines, with some schools losing as much as 7 percent of their student bodies over a three-year period.
With the continuing decline in enrollment, school districts are looking for new ways to provide the best possible educational experience for their students. This bill simply authorizes school districts participat- ing in a contract system to receive incentive operating aid. This will allow schools to explore more efficient ways of operating while also providing their students with access to more educational opportunities.
Prior legislative history
2017,2018: S.528 REFERRED TO EDUCATION 2015,2016: S.2771 REFERRED TO EDUCATION
Fiscal implications
Undetermined.
Effective date
This act shall take effect the first of July next succeeding the date it shall have become a law.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.