What's happening
This bill requires New York State to reimburse school districts for expenses related to studies mandated for reorganization approval.
Why it matters
Reduces financial barriers for school districts. considering mergers, consolidations, or annexations by ensuring state reimbursement for required feasibility or impact studies, which can be costly and deter districts from pursuing reorganization.
May encourage more thoughtful and data-driven reorganization decisions. since districts will not be discouraged by upfront study costs and can conduct thorough analyses as required by the state education department.
Ensures equitable access to reorganization processes. for small or financially constrained districts, potentially supporting long-term efficiency, resource sharing, and educational improvements statewide.
Implementation is contingent on state funding. , meaning the bill’s impact depends on an appropriation being made—if funding is not allocated, the reimbursement provision will not take effect until it is.
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Who cares
School districts pursuing reorganization
The bill would reimburse actual expenses related to Education Department-required studies for mergers, consolidations or annexations eligible for reorganization aid.
New York State Education Department
Reimbursement would cover studies the department requires to approve a qualifying reorganization, with implementation tied to an appropriation to the department.
New York State Division of the Budget
The bill would require the division to notify the Legislative Bill Drafting Commission whether and when the appropriation needed to trigger implementation has been made.
Headline styles
Pay for School Merger Studies
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.
Pay for School Merger Studies
In Senate Committee · Finance · Sponsor Shelley Mayer
Full text
1 pageUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
475
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY (Prefiled)
January 8, 2025
Introduced by M. of A. WOERNER -- read once and referred to the Committee on Education
AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to reimbursement for studies for districts subject to reorganization
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Section 3602 of the education law is amended by adding a new subdivision 14-a to read as follows:
14-a. Districts shall be reimbursed for any actual expenses incurred relating to any study that is required by the department for purposes of approving a reorganization. For purposes of this subdivision the term "reorganization" shall mean any merger, consolidation, or annexation eligible for aid under subdivision fourteen of this section.
§ 2. This act shall take effect immediately; provided, however, that if upon such effective date, an appropriation to the education department shall not have been made for reimbursement of school districts and boards of cooperative educational services for the purposes of implementing the provisions of subdivision 14-a of section 3602 of the education law, as added by section one of this act, then this act shall take effect on the forty-fifth day after such an appropriation is made, and provided, further, that the division of the budget shall notify the legislative bill drifting commission upon enactment whether such an appropriation has been made, and if such appropriation shall not have been made on or before such date, the division of the budget shall notify the legislative bill drafting commission upon the date such an appropriation shall have been made, in order that the commission may maintain an accurate and timely effective data base of the official text of the laws of the state of New York in furtherance of effectuating the provisions of section 44 of the legislative law and section 70-b of the public officers law.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD01379-01-5
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.