S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
________________________________________________________________________

                                  3525

                       2015-2016 Regular Sessions

                          I N  A S S E M B L Y

                            January 23, 2015
                               ___________

Introduced by M. of A. TITONE, CUSICK, ROSENTHAL, OTIS, BARRETT, MARKEY,
  PEOPLES-STOKES,  RAIA,  BROOK-KRASNY, COOK, GOTTFRIED, GALEF -- Multi-
  Sponsored by -- M. of A.   ABBATE,  BRENNAN,  CROUCH,  LENTOL,  MAYER,
  PERRY,  RIVERA,  WRIGHT  -- read once and referred to the Committee on
  Education

AN ACT to establish a task force on arts and music education in  elemen-
  tary  and  secondary  schools;  and  providing  for the repeal of such
  provisions upon expiration thereof

  THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

  Section  1. A task force on arts and music education in elementary and
secondary schools is hereby established  to  examine,  evaluate,  accept
public  comment  and make recommendations concerning the adequacy of the
current state curriculum for arts and music education for elementary and
secondary schools in the state, and the sufficiency of time  devoted  to
the instruction and performance of music and the arts during each school
day.  The  task force may make such recommendations, as it deems fit, to
revise and alter the curriculum for arts and music education  to  better
promote  the  arts and music in elementary and secondary schools, and to
increase the time devoted to providing instruction and education  there-
in.  Such task force shall identify, with particular care, those impacts
that arts and music education have on enhancing pupil academic  perform-
ance and improving pupil social interaction among their fellow pupils.
  S  2.  The  task  force shall consist of 11 members to be appointed as
follows:
  (a) one member appointed by the board of regents;
  (b) one member appointed by the council on the arts;
  (c) one member appointed by the New York State  School  Music  Associ-
ation;
  (d)  one  member  appointed by the New York State Art Teachers Associ-
ation;

 EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                      [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                           LBD02233-01-5
              

A. 3525                             2

  (e) one member appointed by the New York State School  Boards  Associ-
ation;
  (f) one member appointed by the temporary president of the senate;
  (g) one member appointed by the speaker of the assembly; and
  (h) four members appointed by the governor.
  The  members of the task force shall each have experience in the vari-
ous facets of art or music education, or behavioral sciences. The gover-
nor shall designate the chair of the task force from among  his  or  her
appointees.  Vacancies  in  the  membership  of  the task force shall be
filled in the manner provided for original appointments.
  S 3. The members of the task force shall receive no  compensation  for
their services, but shall be allowed their actual and necessary expenses
incurred in the performance of their duties pursuant to this act.
  S  4. To the maximum extent feasible, the task force shall be entitled
to request and receive, and shall utilize  and  be  provided  with  such
facilities,  resources  and  data  of  any  department, division, board,
bureau, commission, district or agency of the  state  or  any  political
subdivision  thereof  as it may reasonably request to properly carry out
its powers and duties pursuant to this act.
  S 5. The task force shall submit, within 18 months  of  the  effective
date  of this act, a report of its findings, conclusions and recommenda-
tions to the governor, board of  regents,  temporary  president  of  the
senate,  speaker  of  the  assembly,  minority  leader of the senate and
minority leader of the assembly. The report shall include such  legisla-
tive proposals as the task force deems necessary to implement its recom-
mendations.
  S  6.  This  act shall take effect immediately and shall expire and be
deemed repealed 18 months after such date or  on  the  date  the  report
required  by  section  five of this act is submitted, whichever shall be
later; provided that the task force on arts and  music  education  shall
notify  the  legislative bill drafting commission upon the submission of
such report 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.

                            
                    S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
________________________________________________________________________

                                 3525--A

                       2015-2016 Regular Sessions

                          I N  A S S E M B L Y

                            January 23, 2015
                               ___________

Introduced  by M. of A. TITONE, NOLAN, CUSICK, ROSENTHAL, OTIS, BARRETT,
  MARKEY, PEOPLES-STOKES, RAIA, COOK, GOTTFRIED, GALEF, GRAF,  ROZIC  --
  Multi-Sponsored by -- M. of A. ABBATE, BRENNAN, CROUCH, LENTOL, MAYER,
  McDONOUGH,  PERRY,  RIVERA,  WRIGHT  --  read once and referred to the
  Committee on Education -- recommitted to the Committee on Education in
  accordance with Assembly Rule 3, sec. 2 -- committee discharged,  bill
  amended,  ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said commit-
  tee

AN ACT to establish a report on arts and music education  in  elementary
  and secondary schools

  THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

  Section 1. 1. The commissioner of education shall create  a  procedure
in  which  school  district  compliance  with  current  arts instruction
requirements including visual arts, music, dance and theatre as required
by law and regulation in elementary  and  secondary  public  schools  is
reported  to the department of education by school districts and how the
current arts instruction  requirements  including  visual  arts,  music,
dance and theatre could be improved or enhanced.
  Such report shall include but not be limited to the following informa-
tion for each school district:
  a.  how  the  state  standards,  including  statutory  and  regulatory
requirements, for the arts, including  visual  arts,  music,  dance  and
theatre could be revised or altered to better promote the arts and music
in elementary and secondary schools;
  b.  how  the  state  standards,  including  statutory  and  regulatory
requirements, for the arts, including  visual  arts,  music,  dance  and
theatre  could  be  revised  or  altered to increase the time devoted to
providing instruction and education for such arts;
  c. i. the impacts that arts education, including visual  arts,  music,
dance and theatre have on enhancing pupil academic performance;

 EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                      [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                           LBD02233-02-6
              

A. 3525--A                          2

  ii.  how integrating the arts, including visual arts, music, dance and
theatre into general education throughout the learning process, enhances
students' learning;
  iii. how arts, including visual arts, music, dance and theatre promote
the  health  and well-being of children, including academic and personal
growth, critical thinking and analytical skills and  the  motivation  to
stay  in school and excel by encouraging expression, creativity, innova-
tive thinking and cooperative learning experiences;
  d. the impact that arts education, including visual arts, music, dance
and theatre have on  improving  pupil  social  interaction  among  their
fellow pupils;
  e.  how many and which schools do not provide the class time for arts,
including visual arts, music, dance and theatre instruction as  required
by  law  and regulation and the reason or reasons why the schools do not
provide appropriate time for such instruction; and
  f. how many and which schools are not in compliance with arts, includ-
ing visual arts,  music,  dance  and  theatre  instruction  requirements
established  in  law  and  regulation  or  are in violation of any arts,
including visual arts, music, dance and theatre  related  law  or  regu-
lation.
  2.  Each  superintendent  of a school district which contains at least
one school which is not in compliance with arts, including visual  arts,
music, dance and theatre instruction requirements established in law and
regulation shall (i) prepare a corrective action plan to be reviewed and
approved  by the board of education at a public meeting; and (ii) to the
extent practicable, begin implementation of such corrective action  plan
the following school year.
  3. A list of the school districts that fail to comply with the report-
ing  requirements  in subdivision one of this section shall be posted on
the department's internet website.
  4. On or before July 1, 2017,  the  commissioner  of  education  shall
report  to  the  governor,  the  temporary  president of the senate, the
speaker of the assembly, and the  chairs  of  the  senate  and  assembly
committees  on  education  the  findings  made  based on the information
reported pursuant to paragraph a of  subdivision  one  of  this  section
including  an  analysis  and explanation of the data, and shall identify
steps that can be taken to ensure that all public schools are in compli-
ance with arts, including visual arts, music, dance and theatre instruc-
tion requirements in elementary and secondary grades and examine, evalu-
ate and make recommendations concerning  the  adequacy  of  the  current
state  standards for arts, including visual arts, music, dance and thea-
tre education for elementary and secondary schools in  the  state.  Such
recommendations  may  include  but not be limited to revisions or alter-
ations to the state standards for arts, including  visual  arts,  music,
dance and theatre to better promote and increase time devoted to provid-
ing such instruction.
  S 2. This act shall take effect immediately.