Assembly Bill A1774

                            
 
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   1774
 
                        2017-2018 Regular Sessions
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                             January 13, 2017
                                ___________
 
 Introduced by M. of A. PAULIN, JAFFEE, PRETLOW, ZEBROWSKI, RAMOS, STECK,
   HEVESI,  RIVERA,  SEPULVEDA,  COOK,  MAYER,  GALEF, ABINANTI, SKOUFIS,
   RAIA, LUPARDO -- Multi-Sponsored by -- M. of A. FARRELL, GOTTFRIED  --
   read once and referred to the Committee on Education
 
 AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to full day kindergarten

   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. Subdivision 1 of section  1712  of  the  education  law  is
 amended to read as follows:
   1. The board of education of each school district [may] SHALL maintain
 kindergartens  which shall be free to resident children between the ages
 of four and six years, provided, however, such board may  fix  a  higher
 minimum  age  for  admission to such kindergartens.  IN THE TWO THOUSAND
 NINETEEN--TWO THOUSAND TWENTY  SCHOOL  YEAR  AND  THEREAFTER,  ALL  SUCH
 KINDERGARTENS SHALL BE OPERATED ON A FULL-TIME BASIS.
   §  2.  Subdivision 1 of section 2514 of the education law, as added by
 chapter 762 of the laws of 1950, is amended to read as follows:
   1. The board of education of each city  school  district  [may]  SHALL
 maintain  kindergartens which shall be free to resident children between
 the ages of four and six years, provided, however, such board may fix  a
 higher  minimum  age  for  admission to such kindergartens.   IN THE TWO
 THOUSAND NINETEEN--TWO THOUSAND TWENTY SCHOOL YEAR AND  THEREAFTER,  ALL
 SUCH KINDERGARTENS SHALL BE OPERATED ON A FULL-TIME BASIS.
   §  3. Subdivision 1 of section 2555 of the education law, such section
 as renumbered by chapter 762 of the laws of 1950, is amended to read  as
 follows:
   1. The board of education of each city [may] SHALL maintain kindergar-
 tens  which  shall be free to resident children between the ages of four
 and six years, provided, however, such board may fix  a  higher  minimum
 age  for admission to such kindergartens.  IN THE TWO THOUSAND NINETEEN-
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD06286-01-7
              

 A. 1774                             2
 
 -TWO THOUSAND TWENTY SCHOOL YEAR AND THEREAFTER, ALL SUCH  KINDERGARTENS
 SHALL BE OPERATED ON A FULL-TIME BASIS.
   § 4. Subdivision 9 of section 3602 of the education law, as amended by
 section  9  of  part  A of chapter 57 of the laws of 2013, is amended to
 read as follows:
   9. Aid for conversion to full day kindergarten. School  districts  may
 make  available  full day kindergarten programs for all children wishing
 to attend such programs, AND, COMMENCING WITH  THE  TWO  THOUSAND  NINE-
 TEEN--TWO  THOUSAND TWENTY SCHOOL YEAR, SHALL MAKE FULL-DAY KINDERGARTEN
 PROGRAMS AVAILABLE TO ALL CHILDREN.
   a. For aid payable in  the  two  thousand  seven--two  thousand  eight
 school year and thereafter, school districts which provided any half-day
 kindergarten  programs  or  had no kindergarten programs in the nineteen
 hundred ninety-six--ninety-seven school year and in the base  year,  and
 which  have  not received an apportionment pursuant to this paragraph in
 any prior school year, shall be eligible for aid equal to the product of
 the district's selected foundation aid calculated pursuant  to  subdivi-
 sion  four of this section multiplied by the positive difference result-
 ing when the full day  kindergarten  enrollment  of  children  attending
 programs  in  the  district  in  the  base  year is subtracted from such
 enrollment in the current year.
   b. Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph a of this  subdivision,
 school  districts  that  have received an apportionment pursuant to this
 subdivision in a prior school year shall be eligible for  an  apportion-
 ment where the department grants a waiver upon cause satisfactory to the
 department,  including but not limited to, satisfactory demonstration of
 significant economic hardship that would impact  the  school  district's
 ability  to  provide  full  day kindergarten for all children wishing to
 attend such programs. No school district may be granted  such  a  waiver
 more than once.
   §  5.  This act shall take effect on the first of July next succeeding
 the date on which it shall have become a law.