S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
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                                   6242
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                             February 27, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced by M. of A. BRABENEC -- read once and referred to the Commit-
   tee on Education
 
 AN  ACT  in  relation  to  apportioning funds to the East Ramapo central
   school district for services and expenses
 
   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

   Section  1.    Legislative  intent.  The  legislature hereby finds and
 declares that the East Ramapo central school district faces  a  substan-
 tial  budgetary  shortfall  and  absent  legislative  intervention,  the
 district is at risk of being unable  to  pay  its  staff,  and  students
 attending the public schools in the district will suffer. In recognition
 of  this crisis, the legislature hereby provides the East Ramapo central
 school district with an accelerated payment of  twenty  million  dollars
 ($20,000,000)  to  provide  the funds necessary for the district to meet
 its payroll obligations.
   § 2. The East Ramapo central school  district  shall  be  paid  on  an
 accelerated schedule as follows:
   (a)  (1)  Notwithstanding any other provisions of law, for aid payable
 in the school years 2025-2026 through 2054-2055 upon application to  the
 commissioner  of  education, submitted not sooner than the second Monday
 in July of the school year in which such aid is payable  and  not  later
 than the Friday following the third Monday in July of the school year in
 which  such aid is payable, or ten days after the effective date of this
 act, whichever shall be later, the East Ramapo central  school  district
 shall be eligible to receive an apportionment pursuant to this act in an
 amount  equal to the product of twenty million dollars ($20,000,000) and
 the quotient of the positive difference of thirty minus  the  number  of
 school years elapsed since the 2025-2026 school year divided by thirty.
   (2)  Funds  apportioned pursuant to this subdivision shall be used for
 services and expenses of the East Ramapo  central  school  district  and
 shall  be applied in support of its educational programs and any liabil-

  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD07602-01-5
              

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 ity incurred by such central school district in carrying out  its  func-
 tions and responsibilities under the education law.
   (b)  The  claim  for  an  apportionment  to be paid to the East Ramapo
 central school district pursuant to  subdivision  (a)  of  this  section
 shall be submitted to the commissioner of education on a form prescribed
 for  such  purpose,  and  shall  be  payable  upon determination by such
 commissioner that the form has been submitted as prescribed and that the
 school district has complied with the  reporting  requirements  of  this
 act.  For  each  school  year  in  which application is made pursuant to
 subdivision (a) of this section, such approved amount shall  be  payable
 on  or  before  July thirty-first of such school year upon the audit and
 warrant of the state comptroller on vouchers certified  or  approved  by
 the  commissioner  of  education  in  the  manner prescribed by law from
 moneys appropriated from the general fund for general support for public
 schools due such school district  pursuant  to  section  3609-a  of  the
 education law.
   (c)  Notwithstanding the provisions of section 3609-a of the education
 law, an amount equal to the amount  paid  to  the  East  Ramapo  central
 school district during the current year pursuant to subdivisions (a) and
 (b) of this section shall first be deducted from payments due during the
 current  school year pursuant to subparagraphs 4 and 5 of paragraph a of
 subdivision 1 of section 3609-a of the education law  in  the  following
 order:  the  fixed  fall  payments payable pursuant to subparagraph 4 of
 paragraph a of subdivision 1 of section 3609-a of the education law, and
 any remainder to be deducted from the individualized payments due to the
 district pursuant to paragraph b of subdivision 1 of section  3609-a  of
 the  education  law  shall be deducted on a chronological basis starting
 with the earliest payment due the district.
   (d) Notwithstanding any other provisions of law, the sum  of  payments
 made  to  the  East  Ramapo central school district during the base year
 pursuant to subdivisions (a) and (b) of this section plus payments  made
 to  such  school  district  during  the current year pursuant to section
 3609-a of the education law shall be deemed to truly represent all  aids
 paid  to such school district during the current school year pursuant to
 section 3609-a of the education law for the purposes  of  computing  any
 adjustments to such aids that may occur in a subsequent school year.
   (e)  (1)  On  or  before the first day of each month beginning in July
 2025 and ending in June 2055, the chief fiscal officer  and  the  super-
 intendent  of  schools  of  the district shall prepare and submit to the
 board of education and monitors, so long as these roles  are  filled,  a
 report of the fiscal condition of the school district, including but not
 limited  to  the  most  current available data on fund balances on funds
 maintained by the school district and the district's use of  the  appor-
 tionments provided pursuant to subdivisions (a) and (b) of this section.
   (2) Such monthly report shall be in a format prescribed by the commis-
 sioner  of  education.  The board of education and monitors shall either
 reject and return the report to the chief fiscal officer and the  super-
 intendent for appropriate revisions and resubmittal or shall approve the
 report  and submit copies to the commissioner of education and the state
 comptroller of such approved report as submitted or resubmitted.
   (3) In the 2025-2026 through 2054-2055 school years, the chief  fiscal
 officer  of  the district shall monitor all budgets and for each budget,
 prepare a quarterly report of summarized budget data  depicting  overall
 trends  of actual revenues and budget expenditures for the entire budget
 as well as individual line items.  Such  report  shall  compare  revenue
 estimates and appropriations as set forth in such budget with the actual
 A. 6242                             3

 revenues  and  expenditures made to date. All quarterly reports shall be
 accompanied by a recommendation from the superintendent or chief  fiscal
 officer  to  the  board  of education setting forth any remedial actions
 necessary to resolve any unfavorable budget variance including the over-
 estimation  of  revenue and underestimation of appropriations. The chief
 fiscal officer shall also prepare, as part of such report,  a  quarterly
 trial  balance  of  general ledger accounts in accordance with generally
 accepted accounting principles as prescribed by the  state  comptroller.
 All  reports  shall be completed within sixty days after the end of each
 quarter and shall be submitted to the chief fiscal officer and the board
 of education, the state division of budget,  the  office  of  the  state
 comptroller,  the  commissioner  of education, the chair of the assembly
 ways and means committee, and the chair of the senate finance committee.
   § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.