NY State Senate Bill 2017-S1439

Senate Bill S1439

2017-2018 Legislative Session

Expands the school districts that may, by district vote, consolidate their school district with a school district of a city with less than one hundred twenty-five thousand inhabitants

download bill text pdf

Archive: Last Bill Status - In Senate Committee Education Committee

Introduced
- In Committee Assembly
- In Committee Senate
- On Floor Calendar Assembly
- On Floor Calendar Senate
- Passed Assembly
- Passed Senate
Delivered to Governor
Signed By Governor

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Actions

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	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
Jan 03, 2018	referred to education
Jan 09, 2017	referred to education

2017-S1439 (ACTIVE) - Details

Current Committee:: Senate Education
Law Section:: Education Law
Laws Affected:: Amd §1524, Ed L
Versions Introduced in Other Legislative Sessions:: 2013-2014: S7189
2015-2016: S2467

2017-S1439 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Expands the school districts that may, by district vote, consolidate their school district with a school district of a city with less than one hundred twenty-five thousand inhabitants.

2017-S1439 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                 BILL NUMBER:  S1439

 TITLE OF BILL :  An act to amend the education law, in relation to
consolidation with city school districts

 PURPOSE :

To allow for the voluntary consolidation of a school district in close
proximity with a city school district within the education law.

 SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS :


Section 1 amends section 1524 of the education law to allow a school
district in close proximity to a city school district, to voluntarily
consolidate with that city school district.


Section 2 provides for the effective date.

 EXISTING LAW :

Currently, the Education Law allows for the voluntary consolidation of
a school district or districts contiguous to a city school district.
It does not allow a school district in close proximity to a city
school district to pursue such consolidation.

 JUSTIFICATION :

New York State law provides school districts contiguous to city school
districts, with the option to pursue consolidation, with the potential
of achieving greater efficiency and cost savings. However, a school
district which is in close proximity to a city school district, yet
not contiguous to that city school district cannot pursue
consolidation under the current law. The ability to consider
consolidation among school districts should be expanded so that those
school districts in close proximity to a city school district might
also have the benefit of considering consolidation as an option.

School districts in New York State face problems including declining
enrollment, escalating costs and limited resources. As a result of
such pressures, school districts are forced to look at the
configurations of their schools with the objective of seeking
efficiencies and strategies to control ever increasing costs, while
still providing a high quality education for students.

The option to consolidate should not be limited to only those school
districts contiguous to city school districts. Broadening the law to
allow schools in close proximity to city school districts to consider
consolidation gives these schools one more tool to use as they try to
operate as efficiently and effectively as possible.

 LEGISLATIVE HISTORY :

2015-2016: 5.2467 Referred to Education.
2013-2014: S.7189

 FISCAL IMPLICATIONS :

This bill may result in savings to those school districts that chose
to consolidate their operations.

 EFFECTIVE DATE :
This act shall take effect immediately.

2017-S1439 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                            
 
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   1439
 
                        2017-2018 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                              January 9, 2017
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen. RITCHIE -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be committed to the Committee on Education
 
 AN ACT to amend the education law, in  relation  to  consolidation  with
   city school districts
 
   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

   Section 1. Subdivision 1 of section 1524  of  the  education  law,  as
 amended  by  chapter  461  of  the  laws  of 1996, is amended to read as
 follows:
   1.  Notwithstanding the provisions of this chapter or any other gener-
 al, special, or local law to the contrary, whenever the qualified voters
 of a school district which is contiguous to the city school district  OR
 IN  CLOSE PROXIMITY TO THE CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT of a city with less than
 one hundred twenty-five thousand inhabitants, according  to  the  latest
 federal census, by a majority vote taken at an annual or special meeting
 of  such  district  shall adopt a proposition to consolidate such school
 district with such city school district, and the board of  education  of
 such city school district shall by resolution duly adopted consent ther-
 eto,  the  commissioner  [of  education]  may  by order consolidate such
 school district with such city school district; provided, however,  that
 where several school districts are contiguous to each other and at least
 one  of such school districts is contiguous to such city school district
 OR IN CLOSE PROXIMITY TO SUCH CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT,  such  vote  may  be
 taken  in  each  of  such  school districts at the same time, and if the
 proposition to consolidate is adopted by a majority vote  in  each  such
 district,  including any votes cast by absentee ballot as provided under
 section two thousand eighteen-a  or  two  thousand  eighteen-b  of  this
 [chapter] TITLE, whichever shall apply, and upon the consent of the city
 school  district board of education, the commissioner [of education] may
 include each such district in  one  order  of  consolidation;  provided,
 further,  however, that if the proposition to consolidate is not adopted
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.

                                                            LBD07354-01-7

 S. 1439                             2
 
 by a majority vote in each such district, but is so adopted  in  one  or
 more  of  such  districts,  upon the consent of the city school district
 board of education, the commissioner may include in one order of consol-
 idation only such district or districts as, either singly or as a group,
 are  contiguous  to  such  city school district OR IN CLOSE PROXIMITY TO
 SUCH CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT.  Such order shall specify a date on which the
 same shall take effect, and shall have the same effect as an order  made
 by  a  district  superintendent  dissolving  two  or  more common school
 districts and forming a new district therefrom,  or  dissolving  one  or
 more  common  school  districts  and  uniting the territory thereof to a
 union free school district under the provisions of article thirty-one of
 this chapter.  A copy of such order shall be filed  with  the  clerk  of
 each school district affected thereby.
   § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.

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