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Senate Bill S5987

2025-2026 Legislative Session

Prohibits the establishment of new charter schools in certain areas

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Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Education Committee

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2025-S5987 (ACTIVE) - Details

See Assembly Version of this Bill:
A6902
Current Committee:
Senate Education
Law Section:
Education

2025-S5987 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Prohibits the establishment of new charter schools, or the revision of any charter in, or within a five mile radius of, the Hempstead union free school district, the Uniondale union free school district, or the Roosevelt union free school district.

2025-S5987 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2025-S5987 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf 

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   5987
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                               March 4, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen.  BYNOE  -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be committed to the Committee on Education
 
 AN ACT in relation to  prohibiting  the  establishment  of  new  charter
   schools in certain areas
 
   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 intent of this act to address
 the oversaturation of charter schools in the  Hempstead,  Roosevelt  and
 Uniondale communities. Charter schools were first authorized in New York
 State  in  1998  and  were designed to provide parents and students with
 additional educational opportunities. In the three decades since  enact-
 ment,  there has been an increase of charter schools in certain communi-
 ties. The method for funding charter schools from public school district
 budgets creates a disparity for public schools and impacts their ability
 to maintain programs and services. Funds  from  public  school  district
 budgets  are used to pay tuition for students attending charter schools.
 Multiple charter schools located within a  radius  of  a  public  school
 district  results in reduced funds in the public school district's budg-
 et, thereby creating fiscal challenges for the impacted districts.    It
 is  the  intent  of the legislature to help impacted school districts by
 enacting a moratorium on any additional charter school sitings or expan-
 sions within the five-mile radius of Hempstead, Roosevelt and  Uniondale
 school buildings.
   Furthermore,  these  challenges have been particularly intractable for
 certain school districts in Nassau County, including the Hempstead Union
 Free School District, the Uniondale Union Free School District  and  the
 Roosevelt   Union  Free  School  District.  Such  districts  contain  an
 increased number of charter schools, with at least ten physical campuses
 between the three school districts. For example, in academic year  2024-
 2025, approximately $115 million from these three districts was given to
 charter  schools.  Additionally,  in  academic  year  2024-2025, student

  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD10117-05-5

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