Senate Bill S6856

                                BILL NUMBER:S6856

TITLE OF BILL:  An act to amend the education law, in relation to meet-
ings of the board of regents

PURPOSE:

To require the Board the Regents to hold its meetings throughout the
regions of New York State.

SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section 1 amends Section 204 of the Education Law to require the Board
of Regents to hold at least one meeting in each calendar year in each
Judicial District outside of New York City and at least one meeting in
each calendar year in New York City.

JUSTIFICATION:

New York State Law does not specify where the Board of Regents shall
hold its meetings. Therefore, the vast majority of its meetings are held
in Albany, inside the New York State Department of Education Building.
This pattern of almost always meeting in the same city, in the same part
of the state, prevents nearly the entire public from attending and
participating in the meetings of the Board of Regents.

              

This bill will address that issue; it will encourage greater public
awareness and involvement in New York State education policy. This
legislation requires the Board of Regents to hold its meetings through-
out the regions of New York State. Specifically, it requires that at
least one meeting in each calendar year be held in each Judicial
District outside of New York City and that at least one meeting in each
calendar be held in New York City.

By requiring the Board of Regents to hold its meeting throughout all the
regions of New York State, the public, especially those affected by the
State's education policy, will have an opportunity to attend and partic-
ipate in the meetings of the Board of Regents. Instead of being left out
of the process and having to travel many hours back and forth to Albany,
under this legislation the public will be able to have direct access to
and be a part of the meetings of the Board of Regents held in their part
of the State. This will facilitate greater dialogue between the Board of
Regents and the people of the state who reside in each judicial
district.

This legislation is necessary because the adoption and implementation of
the Common Core Curriculum by the Board of Regents provides a clear
example of how the public was not well informed of the Board of Regents'
actions that have a significant impact on the schools, teachers and
students in New York State. By requiring the Board of Regents to hold
open public meetings throughout the regions of the State, stakeholders

will have an opportunity to meet with the Regents and learn about the
role the Regents play in setting education policy for the State.

LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

New Bill.

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

Minimal.

EFFECTIVE DATE:

This act shall take effect on the first of January next succeeding the
date on which it shall have become a law. Effective immediately, the
addition, amendment and/or repeal of any rule or regulation necessary
for the implementation of this act on its effective date is authorized
to be made on or before such date.