Assembly Bill A11539

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   11539
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                               June 1, 2026
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  COMMITTEE  ON  RULES -- (at request of M. of A. Alvarez,
   Benedetto) -- read once and referred to  the  Committee  on  Ways  and
   Means
 
 AN  ACT  to amend the education law, in relation to contracts for excel-
   lence in a city school district in a city having a population  of  one
   million or more inhabitants

   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. Subparagraph (i) and clauses (A) and  (B)  of  subparagraph
 (ii)  of  paragraph b of subdivision 2 of section 211-d of the education
 law, subparagraph (i) as amended by section 2 of part A of chapter 57 of
 the laws of 2008, clause (A) of subparagraph (ii) as amended by  chapter
 86  of  the laws of 2023, and clause (B) of subparagraph (ii) as amended
 by chapter 556 of the laws of 2022, are amended to read as follows:
   (i) The contract shall specify the new or expanded programs for  which
 additional  amounts  of  such  total foundation aid[,] or grant shall be
 used and shall affirm that such  programs  shall  predominately  benefit
 students  with the greatest educational needs including, but not limited
 to, those students with limited English proficiency, students in poverty
 and students with disabilities.
   (A) In a city school district in a city having  a  population  of  one
 million  or  more  inhabitants  such contract shall also include a plan,
 which shall be developed in collaboration with the collective bargaining
 units representing teachers and the principals  beginning  in  September
 two  thousand  twenty-two  and  signed  off on by the chancellor and the
 presidents of each bargaining unit, to reduce actual class sizes, begin-
 ning September two thousand twenty-three and to be achieved by September
 two thousand [twenty-eight] THIRTY for all classes, with  the  exception
 of  physical education and performing groups, as follows: (1) kindergar-
 ten-third grade to have no more than  twenty  students  per  class;  (2)
 fourth-eighth  grade  to  have  no  more  than twenty-three students per
 class; and (3) high school to have no more than twenty-five students per
 class. Physical education and performing groups shall have no more  than
 forty  students  per  class at all levels.   [Each year] FOR EACH OF THE
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
              

                                                            LBD16040-02-6
 A. 11539                            2
 
 FIRST THREE YEARS of the plan,  an  additional  twenty  percent  of  the
 classrooms  in  the  city  school  district, excluding special education
 classes, shall be in compliance with the class  size  targets,  AND  FOR
 EACH  OF  THE  FOLLOWING  FOUR  YEARS,  AN ADDITIONAL TEN PERCENT OF THE
 CLASSROOMS IN THE CITY  SCHOOL  DISTRICT,  EXCLUDING  SPECIAL  EDUCATION
 CLASSES,  SHALL  BE  IN COMPLIANCE WITH THE CLASS SIZE TARGETS such that
 the city school district is in full compliance by two thousand  [twenty-
 eight] THIRTY and all classes should maintain the target class size. The
 class  size  reduction plan shall prioritize schools serving populations
 with higher poverty levels.
   (B) The class size reduction plan shall include any exemptions to  the
 class size targets. These exemptions shall be limited to: (1) space; (2)
 over-enrolled  students;  (3)  license  area  shortages;  and (4) severe
 economic distress. Any such exemptions shall be approved by the chancel-
 lor and the presidents of the collective bargaining  units  representing
 the  teachers  and  the  principals  as part of the class size reduction
 plan. Should  the  chancellor  and  the  presidents  of  the  collective
 bargaining  units representing the teachers and the principals be unable
 to reach agreement on the exemptions after thirty days, the issue  shall
 be  determined  by  an  arbitrator.  In addition, any exemption based on
 available space shall include a  reference  to  the  capital  budget  to
 demonstrate  that  the  budget  is  aligned with resolving the exemption
 status. Exempted classes, for the years in which they  are  exempt,  and
 special  education  classes  shall not count toward the [twenty percent]
 APPLICABLE target PERCENTAGE.
   § 2. This act shall take effect on July 1, 2026.