BILL NUMBER:S1740

TITLE OF BILL:

An act
in relation to reimbursing non-public schools and teachers
for training

PURPOSE:

To reimburse non-public schools for costs associated with preparing.
teachers to handle various facets of state-prepared examinations.

SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

This bill would require the state to directly reimburse non-public
schools for the costs associated with two days of training for
teachers to prepare them in the areas of administering, grading,
compiling, and reporting the results of state-prepared examinations.
In addition, the state would be required to directly reimburse
non-public school teachers the lesser of (i) the pro rata portion of
their salary that they are foregoing in order to obtain such training
or (ii) an amount equivalent to the pro rata share of the aver- age
salary of public school teachers in the school districts in which the
non-public school is located.

              

EXISTING LAW:

None.

JUSTIFICATION:

Non-public schools receive far less in government aid than do public
schools. As such, they shoulder an enormous financial burden that
public schools do not have to bear. The overall operating costs of
non-public schools are extremely high and far surpass any revenue
generated
by tuition payments by the parents. When a non-public school is
forced to bear additional costs associated with testing mandates
imposed upon them by the state, the state should be responsible for
alleviating that additional burden. This concept was unveiled by New
York State Attorney General Eliot Spitzer in a May 2002 report on
non-public education. The findings in the Attorney General's report
Were based on recommendations put forth by members of his Advisory
Committee on Non-Public Education. The committee was
comprised of individuals representing the Archdiocese of New York, the
New York State Board of Regents, the United Federation of Teachers
and the UJA Federation of New York, as well as several other
distinguished institutions and organizations.

LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

S.2127 of 2009-10 - Referred to Education
S.3721 of 2007-08 - Senate Education
S.6296 of 2004 - Senate Education
S.2201 of 2006

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

To be determined.

EFFECTIVE DATE:

This act shall take effect immediately.