S T A T E O F N E W Y O R K
________________________________________________________________________
6182
2023-2024 Regular Sessions
I N A S S E M B L Y
April 3, 2023
___________
Introduced by M. of A. CURRAN -- read once and referred to the Committee
on Education
AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to the annual extensions
of transportation contracts for school districts
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
Section 1. Paragraph a of subdivision 14 of section 305 of the educa-
tion law, as amended by chapter 273 of the laws of 1999, is amended to
read as follows:
a. All contracts for the transportation of school children, all
contracts to maintain school buses owned or leased by a school district
that are used for the transportation of school children, all contracts
for mobile instructional units, and all contracts to provide, maintain
and operate cafeteria or restaurant service by a private food service
management company shall be subject to the approval of the commissioner,
who may disapprove a proposed contract if, in his opinion, the best
interests of the district will be promoted thereby. Except as provided
in paragraph e of this subdivision, all such contracts involving an
annual expenditure in excess of the amount specified for purchase
contracts in the bidding requirements of the general municipal law shall
be awarded to the lowest responsible bidder, which responsibility shall
be determined by the board of education or the trustee of a district,
with power hereby vested in the commissioner to reject any or all bids
if, in his opinion, the best interests of the district will be promoted
thereby and, upon such rejection of all bids, the commissioner shall
order the board of education or trustee of the district to seek, obtain
and consider new proposals. All proposals for such transportation, main-
tenance, mobile instructional units, or cafeteria and restaurant service
shall be in such form as the commissioner may prescribe. Advertisement
for bids shall be published in a newspaper or newspapers designated by
the board of education or trustee of the district having general circu-
EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD10523-01-3
A. 6182 2
lation within the district for such purpose. Such advertisement shall
contain a statement of the time when and place where all bids received
pursuant to such advertisement will be publicly opened and read either
by the school authorities or by a person or persons designated by them.
All bids received shall be publicly opened and read at the time and
place so specified. At least five days shall elapse between the first
publication of such advertisement and the date so specified for the
opening and reading of bids. The requirement for competitive bidding
shall not apply to an award of a contract for the transportation of
pupils or a contract for mobile instructional units, if such award is
based on an evaluation of proposals in response to a request for
proposals pursuant to paragraph e of this subdivision. The requirement
for competitive bidding shall not apply to annual, biennial, or trienni-
al extensions of a contract nor shall the requirement for competitive
bidding apply to quadrennial or quinquennial year extensions of a
contract involving transportation of pupils, maintenance of school buses
or mobile instructional units secured either through competitive bidding
or through evaluation of proposals in response to a request for
proposals pursuant to paragraph e of this subdivision, when such exten-
sions (1) are made by the board of education or the trustee of a
district, under rules and regulations prescribed by the commissioner,
and, (2) do not extend the original contract period beyond five years
from the date cafeteria and restaurant service commenced thereunder and
in the case of contracts for the transportation of pupils, for the main-
tenance of school buses or for mobile instructional units, that such
contracts may be extended, except that power is hereby vested in the
commissioner, in addition to his existing statutory authority to approve
or disapprove transportation or maintenance contracts, (i) to reject any
extension of a contract beyond the initial term thereof if he finds that
amount to be paid by the district to the contractor in any year of such
proposed extension fails to reflect any decrease in the regional consum-
er price index for the N.Y., N.Y.-Northeastern, N.J. area, based upon
the index for all urban consumers (CPI-U) during the preceding twelve
month period; and (ii) to reject any extension of a contract after ten
years from the date transportation or maintenance service commenced
thereunder, or mobile instructional units were first provided, if in his
opinion, the best interests of the district will be promoted thereby.
Upon such rejection of any proposed extension, the commissioner may
order the board of education or trustee of the district to seek, obtain
and consider bids pursuant to the provisions of this section. The board
of education or the trustee of a school district electing to extend a
contract as provided herein, may, in its discretion, increase the amount
to be paid in each year of the contract extension by an amount not to
exceed the regional consumer price index increase for the N.Y.,
N.Y.-Northeastern, N.J. area, based upon the index for all urban consum-
ers (CPI-U), during the [preceding] twelve month period ENDING ON DECEM-
BER THIRTY-FIRST IMMEDIATELY PRECEDING THE COMMENCEMENT OF THE CONTRACT
EXTENSION, provided it has been satisfactorily established by the
contractor that there has been at least an equivalent increase in the
amount of his cost of operation, during the period of the contract.
§ 2. This act shall take effect immediately.