Senate Bill S6337A

                            
 
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                  6337--A
 
                        2017-2018 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                               May 11, 2017
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen.  GRIFFO -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be committed to the Committee on Education  --  recommitted
   to the Committee on Education in accordance with Senate Rule 6, sec. 8
   --  committee  discharged,  bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended
   and recommitted to said committee

 AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to the computation of the
   cost of a sound basic education in the Maisto Districts
 
   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section  1. Legislative intent: It is the responsibility of the legis-
 lature under article XI of the constitution of the state of New York  to
 establish and maintain a system that will provide all children an oppor-
 tunity  to receive a meaningful high school education. As shown at trial
 in State Supreme Court of MAISTO, ET AL. V STATE OF  NEW  YORK    it  is
 clear  that  under current law resources sufficient to offer that educa-
 tion  in  eight  small  city  school  districts,  known  as  the  Maisto
 Districts, are not being provided. Therefore, it is the intention of the
 legislature to amend certain provisions of the education law to create a
 Maisto  District  Sound Basic Education Cost Panel to determine the cost
 of a sound basic education in each of the districts sufficient to  allow
 such  districts to provide all the children in the districts an opportu-
 nity to receive a meaningful high school education and to maintain heal-
 thy, vibrant educational communities.
   § 2. This act shall be known and may be cited as the "Maisto  District
 sound basic education cost panel act".
   §  3.  Section  3641  of  the education law is amended by adding a new
 subdivision 17 to read as follows:
   17. MAISTO DISTRICT SOUND BASIC EDUCATION COST PANEL. THERE IS  HEREBY
 CREATED  THE  MAISTO  DISTRICT  SOUND BASIC EDUCATION COST PANEL FOR THE
 PURPOSE OF DETERMINING THE COST OF A SOUND BASIC EDUCATION  IN  EACH  OF
 THE  EIGHT  MAISTO  DISTRICTS, INCLUDING JAMESTOWN CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT,
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
              

                                                            LBD11697-02-8

 S. 6337--A                          2
 
 KINGSTON CITY  SCHOOL  DISTRICT,  MOUNT  VERNON  CITY  SCHOOL  DISTRICT,
 NEWBURGH  CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT, NIAGARA FALLS CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT, PORT
 JERVIS CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT, POUGHKEEPSIE CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT AND UTICA
 CITY  SCHOOL  DISTRICT.  THE  PANEL  SHALL CONSIST OF SIX MEMBERS, TO BE
 APPOINTED BY EACH OF THE FOLLOWING: TWO BY THE SENATE  MAJORITY  LEADER,
 ONE  BY  THE SENATE MINORITY LEADER, TWO BY THE ASSEMBLY SPEAKER AND ONE
 BY THE ASSEMBLY MINORITY LEADER. THE PANEL SHALL MEET AS OFTEN AS DEEMED
 NECESSARY BUT NOT FEWER THAN FOUR TIMES, ELECT A CHAIRPERSON TO SCHEDULE
 AND CONDUCT SUCH MEETINGS AND HAVE THE POWER TO APPOINT SUCH  ASSISTANTS
 EITHER  FROM  THE LEGISLATURE, THE DEPARTMENT OR FROM THE PRIVATE SECTOR
 AND EXPERT ADVISORS AS NECESSARY TO FULFILL ALL DUTIES.   DUTIES OF  THE
 PANEL INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING:
   A. SELECTING AN INDEPENDENT CONSULTANT TO ASSIST IN CONDUCTING STUDIES
 AND  DRAFTING  THE REPORT ON THE COST OF A SOUND BASIC EDUCATION IN EACH
 OF THE EIGHT MAISTO DISTRICTS.
   B. INSURING THAT THE STUDIES AND REPORTS  USE  BOTH  THE  PROFESSIONAL
 JUDGMENT METHOD AND THE FOUNDATION AID FORMULA METHOD OF DETERMINING THE
 COST OF A SOUND BASIC EDUCATION.
   C.  WITH  RESPECT  TO THE FOUNDATION AID METHOD, BASING THE FOUNDATION
 AMOUNT ON THE  AVERAGE  SPENDING  OF  SUCCESSFUL  DISTRICTS  WHICH  HAVE
 ACHIEVED  AT  LEAST EIGHTY PERCENT PROFICIENCY ON TWO FOURTH GRADE STATE
 ASSESSMENTS AND FIVE STATE REGENTS EXAMINATIONS, USING RESEARCHED  BASED
 PUPIL  WEIGHTINGS  DETERMINED  BY  USING NEW YORK STATE STUDENT DATA AND
 USING A RESEARCHED BASED REGIONAL COST INDEX.
   D. SELECTING AN INDEPENDENT  CONSULTANT  WITHIN  NINETY  DAYS  OF  THE
 EFFECTIVE  DATE  OF THIS SUBDIVISION AND ISSUING A PRELIMINARY REPORT TO
 THE SENATE MAJORITY LEADER, SENATE MINORITY LEADER, ASSEMBLY SPEAKER AND
 ASSEMBLY MINORITY LEADER ON OR BEFORE NOVEMBER FIFTEENTH,  TWO  THOUSAND
 EIGHTEEN  AND  A FINAL REPORT ON OR BEFORE DECEMBER FIFTEENTH, TWO THOU-
 SAND EIGHTEEN.
   § 4. This act shall take effect immediately.