02 Oct 2009
BOCES as a Model for Delivering Taxpayer Savings- Long Island
Western Suffolk BOCES Conference Center
12:00 PM to 04:00 PM
Boards of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES) were created to help school districts improve their educational offerings by delivering shared services. Over the years, BOCES’ mission has expanded to include special education, career and technical education, management services and “back office” functions, such as payroll, employee benefits administration, or transportation services.
In 2008, the Commission on Local Efficiency and Competitiveness and the NYS Commission on Property Tax Relief identified BOCES as a model for delivering cost saving programs and services that should be replicated.
In an era of growing fiscal challenges, the Senate Committee on Education is interested in examining ways that the BOCES’ model might be expanded to achieve efficiencies resulting in greater taxpayer savings.
Members of the committee will accept testimony from interested parties with regard to innovative programs, potential shared services, inter-municipal agreements, bulk purchasing, regional collective bargaining, transportation, technology, and other proposals regarding more effective utilization of BOCES.
In addition to members of the educational community-- testimony from local municipal officials and leaders of colleges, universities, libraries, museums, cultural institutions, charter schools and other not-for-profit organizations that provide educational services is encouraged.
Persons wishing to present testimony at the hearing should complete and return the reply form attached to this posting by September 25, 2009.
It is important that the reply form be fully completed and returned so that persons may be notified in the event of postponement or cancelation of the hearing.
Witnesses are asked to keep oral testimony to no more than ten minutes. Written testimony will also be accepted until October 30, 2009 and may be sent to the contact person listed on the reply form. In preparing the order of witnesses, the Committee will attempt to accommodate individual requests to speak at particular times in view of special circumstances. If you are testifying, please submit ten copies of any prepared testimony at the hearing registration desk. In order to further publicize the hearing, please inform interested parties of the Committee’s interest in receiving written testimony from all sources.
In order to meet the needs of those who may have a disability, the Senate, in accordance with its policy of non-discrimination on the basis of disability, as well as the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), has made its facilities and services available to all individuals with disabilities. For individuals with disabilities, accommodations will be provided, upon reasonable request, to afford such individuals access and admission to Senate facilities and activities.
