Assembly Bill A6594

                            
 
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   6594
 
                        2019-2020 Regular Sessions
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                              March 12, 2019
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  M.  of  A.  D'URSO -- (at request of the State Education
   Department) -- read once and referred to the Committee on Education
 
 AN ACT to direct the commissioner of education to establish  a  regional
   secondary  school  advisory  council  to  make  recommendations on the
   establishment of regional secondary high 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. 1. The commissioner of education shall establish  a  tempo-
 rary  regional secondary advisory council, which shall develop recommen-
 dations for legislative proposals for the establishment of regional high
 schools. Such advisory council shall be comprised of eleven members,  of
 whom,  two  shall  be appointed upon the recommendation of the governor,
 two shall be appointed upon the recommendation of the  temporary  presi-
 dent  of  the  senate, two shall be appointed upon the recommendation of
 the speaker of the assembly, one member of the board of  regents  and/or
 his  or her designee and the remaining members shall be either certified
 teachers, principals, superintendents from  rural,  urban  and  suburban
 school  districts  and/or  district superintendents of boards of cooper-
 ative educational services appointed by the commissioner  of  education.
 The  commissioner  of  education  shall  appoint a chair of the advisory
 council. The members of the advisory council shall represent the  diver-
 sity  of  school environments that exists throughout the state and shall
 have demonstrated experience with  expertise  in  one  or  more  of  the
 following  areas:  the  use  of regional educational services, teaching,
 administration in secondary schools, or regional transportation.
   2. The recommendations of the advisory council shall include, but  not
 be limited to:
   (a)  recommendations  for  legislative proposals to establish regional
 high schools in certain areas of the state;

  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD09300-01-9
              

 A. 6594                             2
 
   (b) best practices and model school district policies from  throughout
 the  state and nation relating to regional educational services that may
 be considered by the state and school  districts  in  implementation  of
 regional high schools;
   (c)  methods to use regional secondary programming to maximize student
 access to a wide range  of  curricular  opportunities  to  best  prepare
 students for post-secondary opportunities and the workforce;
   (d) recommendations for the delivery of regional educational services,
 including  tuition  reimbursement,  the  issuance of degrees in regional
 high schools when there are multiple  sending  districts,  the  role  of
 boards  of  cooperative  educational services, employees in the regional
 high schools; transportation issues, economic and  administrative  effi-
 ciencies  and  services  for  students  with  disabilities  and  English
 language learners;
   (e) partnerships with institutions of higher education and other rele-
 vant stakeholders for workforce opportunities in regional high  schools;
 and
   (f)  any other recommendations the council feels necessary to success-
 fully implement regional high schools in certain areas of this state.
   § 2. The members of the advisory council 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, provided that the advisory council shall be authorized  to  conduct
 meetings  in  a  manner that minimizes travel and costs as determined by
 the commissioner of education.
   § 3. The advisory committee shall submit a final report of its  recom-
 mendations  to  the Board of Regents, the governor, the temporary presi-
 dent of the senate, the speaker of the assembly and the  chairs  of  the
 education  committees  in the assembly and senate on or before the first
 of October, two thousand twenty.
   § 4. This act shall take effect immediately and shall  expire  and  be
 deemed repealed October 1, 2020.