BILL NUMBER:S5513

TITLE OF BILL:
An act
to authorize the commissioner of education to disregard a reduction
in the apportionment of public money to the
Monroe-Woodbury central school district

PURPOSE:
Provides that Monroe-Woodbury central school district shall be
entitled to full aid notwithstanding the fact that they were in
session for only 179 days.

SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section 1: Notwithstanding the fact that the Monroe-Woodbury central
school district was only in session for one hundred seventy-nine days
in the 2010-2011 school year, due to no fault of its own, the
commissioner of education is authorized to disregard the reduction of
state aid required pursuant to section 3604 of the education law and
shall pay such school district its apportionment as if the school
district had been in session for the required one hundred eighty days.

Section 2: This act shall take effect immediately.

JUSTIFICATION:
The Monroe-Woodbury central school district failed to meet the
              

minimum of l80 session days due to extraordinarily adverse weather
conditions which resulted in school closure on March 23, 2011.
Ordinarily Education Law districts are required, to the extent
possible to utilize scheduled vacation days to make-up any days of
instruction to fulfill the 180 day requirement. However, due to a
tragic cluster of suicides, attempts, and ideations, the school
district believed it would be in everyone's best interest not to
address the session deficiency by abbreviating spring recess, and to
expand a half-day parent conference on 4/15/11 to a full day to
provide maximum access to teachers. This decision was based upon the
expert advice from the district's health and mental health
professionals. This legislation will authorize the commissioner of
education to disregard a
reduction in state aid due to the extraordinary and unique
circumstances which caused the school district to be in session only
one day less than the required 180 days.

LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
New bill.

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
To be determined.

EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.