NY State Senate Bill 2025-S8273

Senate Bill S8273

2025-2026 Legislative Session

Relates to property used by the Greenburgh North Castle Union Free School District number 12 and authorizes such school district to affiliate with Rising Ground, Inc.; repealer

download bill text pdf

Current Bill Status - On Floor Calendar

Introduced
- In Committee Assembly
- In Committee Senate
- On Floor Calendar Assembly
- On Floor Calendar Senate
- Passed Assembly
- Passed Senate
Delivered to Governor
Signed By Governor

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Actions

View Actions

	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
Jun 04, 2025	ordered to third reading cal.1587 committee discharged and committed to rules
May 28, 2025	referred to education

Votes

- Jun 4, 2025 - Rules Committee Vote
  S8273
  
  17
  
  Aye
  
  0
  
  Nay
  
  3
  
  Aye with Reservations
  
  0
  
  Absent
  
  1
  
  Excused
  
  0
  
  Abstained
  - - Rules Committee Vote: Jun 4, 2025
      
      aye (17)
      
      Addabbo Jr.
      
      Bailey
      
      Comrie
      
      Fernandez
      
      Gallivan
      
      Gianaris
      
      Griffo
      
      Harckham
      
      Hoylman-Sigal
      
      Krueger
      
      Lanza
      
      Liu
      
      Mayer
      
      Parker
      
      Sepúlveda
      
      Stec
      
      Stewart-Cousins
      
      aye wr (3)
      
      Helming
      
      O'Mara
      
      Ortt
      
      excused (1)
      
      Myrie

2025-S8273 (ACTIVE) - Details

See Assembly Version of this Bill:: A8682
Law Section:: Education
Laws Affected:: Amd §5, rpld §5 sub b, Chap 118 of 1969

2025-S8273 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Relates to property used by the Greenburgh North Castle Union Free School District number 12 and authorizes such school district to affiliate with Rising Ground, Inc.

2025-S8273 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                 
BILL NUMBER: S8273

SPONSOR: STEWART-COUSINS
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend chapter 118 of the laws of 1969, relating to a separate
union free school district in the town of Greenburgh in the county of
Westchester, in relation to property used by the Greenburgh North Castle
Union Free School District number 12 and authorizing such school
district to affiliate with Rising Ground, Inc.; and to repeal subdivi-
sion b of section 5 of chapter 118 of the laws of 1969, relating to a
separate union free school district in the town of Greenburgh in the
county of Westchester, relating to authorizing the Greenburgh North
Castle Union Free School District number 12 to affiliate with any child
care institution or entity other than St. Christopher's School, Inc.

 
PURPOSE:

The purpose of this bill is to authorize the Greenburgh North Castle
Union Free School District to affiliate with Rising Ground, Inc. to
continue providing educational services beyond the 20242025 school year.

SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section 1 of the bill amends existing law to extend Greenburgh North
Castle Union Free School District's classification as a separate union
free school district past the 2024-2025 school year, to add and remove
properties where Greenburgh North Castle Union Free School District can
operate, to discontinue the operation of Greenburgh North Castle Union
Free School District at 623 Blooming Grove Turnpike in New Windsor by
June 30, 2025, and to authorize the affiliation between Greenburgh North
Castle Union Free School District and Rising Ground, Inc. This section
also sets the standards for the new Board of Education for Greenburgh
North Castle Union Free School District after it affiliates with Rising
Ground.

Section 2 repeals a subdivision of existing law relating to Greenburgh
North Castle Union Free School District's ability to operate while
affiliated with any child care institution other than St.  Christopher's
School, Inc. for the 2024-2025 school year.

Section 2 is the effective date.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

Following St. Christopher's, Inc. 's (St. Christopher's) Chapter 11
bankruptcy filing in April 2024, the New York State Legislature passed a
law allowing the Greenburgh North Castle Union Free School District
(GNC) to operate while affiliated with any child care institution other
than St. Christopher's for the 2024-2025 school year. That law ensured
that 55 severely disabled children and young adults, previously in resi-
dence at St. Christopher's Residential Treatment Center, continued
receiving the support they require and are legally entitled to, instead
of returning to homes ill-equipped to address their needs.

During the 2024-2025 school year, GNC determined that, moving forward,
an affiliation with Rising Ground, Inc. would help GNC provide the best
services to its students and help GNC maintain its solid financial posi-
tion. GNC found Rising Ground's staff to be genuine, caring, responsive,
competent and collaborative. GNC believes that its students who require
residential care have benefited in so many ways from the medical,
psychological and residential treatment provided by RG staff.

This bill authorizes the partnership between GNC and Rising Ground, Inc.
and extends GNC's classification as a separate union free school
district in perpetuity.

 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

This is a new bill.

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

Undetermined

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect July 1, 2025, or the date upon which the
lease agreement for property located at 623 Blooming Grove Turnpike, in
the Town of New Windsor, County of Orange expires, whichever date occurs
first. Provided, further, that the Greenburgh North Castle Union Free
School District number 12 shall notify the legislative bill drafting
commission upon the expiration of such lease agreement in order that the
commission may maintain an accurate and timely effective data base of
the official text of the laws of the state of New York in furtherance of
effectuating the provisions of section 44 of the legislative law and
section 70-b of the public officers law.

2025-S8273 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   8273
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                               May 28, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen.  STEWART-COUSINS -- read twice and ordered printed,
   and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Education
 
 AN ACT to amend chapter 118 of the laws of 1969, relating to a  separate
   union  free school district in the town of Greenburgh in the county of
   Westchester, in relation to property  used  by  the  Greenburgh  North
   Castle  Union  Free  School  District  number  12 and authorizing such
   school district to affiliate with Rising Ground, Inc.; and  to  repeal
   subdivision  b of section 5 of chapter 118 of the laws of 1969, relat-
   ing to a separate union free school district in the town of Greenburgh
   in the county of Westchester, relating to authorizing  the  Greenburgh
   North  Castle  Union  Free School District number 12 to affiliate with
   any child care institution or  entity  other  than  St.  Christopher's
   School, Inc.
 
   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. Section 5 of chapter 118 of the laws of 1969, relating to a
 separate union free school district in the town  of  Greenburgh  in  the
 county  of  Westchester, as added by chapter 179 of the laws of 2024, is
 amended to read as follows:
   § 5. a. Notwithstanding section three AND FOUR of this act, the Green-
 burgh North Castle Union Free School District number 12 of the towns  of
 Greenburgh  and North Castle in the county of Westchester shall continue
 to constitute a separate union free school district during the 2024-2025
 school year AND THEREAFTER and shall continue to have and enjoy all  the
 powers  and  privileges  of  a  union  free  school  district  under the
 provisions of the education law. For purposes of continuing  to  provide
 instruction  to  students  enrolled  in  the  school district during the
 2024-2025 school year AND THEREAFTER, the territory  of  the  Greenburgh
 North  Castle Union Free School District number 12 created by this chap-
 ter shall include property identified in lease  agreements  executed  by
 the school district including the [agency] lease for the school facility
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD13275-01-5

 S. 8273                             2
 
 located at 71 Broadway, Dobbs Ferry in the town of Greenburgh, county of
 Westchester,  108 Shonnard Place in the city of Yonkers, county of West-
 chester [and 1700 Old Orchard Place in the village of Valhalla  pursuant
 to chapter 224 of the laws of 2010;], 29 MARSHALL ROAD, WAPPINGERS FALLS
 IN  THE  TOWNS  OF  WAPPINGER  AND POUGHKEEPSIE, COUNTY OF DUTCHESS, 623
 Blooming Grove Turnpike, in the town of New Windsor,  county  of  Orange
 and 45 East Gainsborg Avenue in the village of West Harrison pursuant to
 chapter  264  of  the  laws  of 2017 AS WELL AS PROPERTIES LEASED AND/OR
 OWNED BY RISING GROUND, INC. IN WESTCHESTER, BRONX OR DUTCHESS  COUNTIES
 AT WHICH A RESIDENTIAL TREATMENT CENTER AFFILIATED WITH GREENBURGH NORTH
 CASTLE UNION FREE SCHOOL DISTRICT NUMBER 12 IS OPERATED PROVIDED, HOWEV-
 ER,  THAT  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION  HAS APPROVED THE USE OF ANY
 BUILDING USED BY THE SCHOOL DISTRICT FOR PURPOSES PROVIDING  INSTRUCTION
 AND  PROVIDED  FURTHER, HOWEVER, THAT THE USE OF THE PROPERTY LOCATED AT
 623 BLOOMING GROVE TURNPIKE, IN THE  TOWN  OF  NEW  WINDSOR,  COUNTY  OF
 ORANGE, SHALL BE DISCONTINUED ON OR ABOUT JUNE 30, 2025.
   b. Notwithstanding any law to the contrary, subject to approval of the
 department  of  education and the office of children and family services
 and any applicable terms of the  Capital  Facilities  Financing  Act  or
 applicable  approval  of the dormitory authority, the board of education
 of the Greenburgh North Castle Union  Free  School  District  number  12
 created  by  this  chapter shall be authorized to affiliate with a child
 care institution as defined in section 4001 of the education  law  other
 than  the  St.  Christopher's School St. Christopher's - Jennie Clarkson
 Child Care Services Corporation. Upon  state  approval  of  such  affil-
 iation, the board of education of the Greenburgh North Castle Union Free
 School  District number 12 as created by this chapter shall be comprised
 of seven members, five elected by the board of directors of  such  child
 care  institution  and two public members appointed pursuant to chapters
 628 and 629 of the laws of 2004. The board members shall serve for terms
 of up to four years. Additionally, following state approval as described
 in this subsection, education responsibility for students placed in  the
 affiliated child care institution shall be governed by article 81 of the
 education law.
   C.  NOTWITHSTANDING ANY LAW TO THE CONTRARY, THE BOARD OF EDUCATION OF
 THE GREENBURGH NORTH CASTLE UNION FREE SCHOOL DISTRICT NUMBER 12 CREATED
 BY THIS CHAPTER SHALL BE AUTHORIZED TO  AFFILIATE  WITH  RISING  GROUND,
 INC.,  A CHILD CARE INSTITUTION AS DEFINED IN SECTION 4001 OF THE EDUCA-
 TION LAW.  UPON SUCH AFFILIATION, THE BOARD OF EDUCATION OF  THE  GREEN-
 BURGH  NORTH  CASTLE  UNION FREE SCHOOL DISTRICT NUMBER 12 AS CREATED BY
 THIS CHAPTER SHALL BE COMPRISED OF BETWEEN FIVE AND NINE  MEMBERS,  WITH
 MEMBERS  TO  BE ELECTED BY THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF RISING GROUND, INC.
 AND WITH TWO SUCH BOARD MEMBERS BEING PUBLIC MEMBERS APPOINTED  PURSUANT
 TO  CHAPTERS  628  AND  629 OF THE LAWS OF 2004. THE BOARD MEMBERS SHALL
 SERVE FOR TERMS OF UP TO FOUR YEARS. ADDITIONALLY,  EDUCATION  RESPONSI-
 BILITY  FOR  STUDENTS  PLACED  IN  THE AFFILIATED CHILD CARE INSTITUTION
 SHALL BE GOVERNED BY ARTICLE 81 OF THE EDUCATION LAW.
   § 2. Subdivision b of section 5 of chapter 118 of the  laws  of  1969,
 relating  to a separate union free school district in the town of Green-
 burgh in the county of Westchester, is REPEALED.
   § 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2025, or the date  upon  which
 the lease agreement for property located at 623 Blooming Grove Turnpike,
 in  the  town  of  New Windsor, county of Orange expires, whichever date
 occurs first. Provided, further, that the Greenburgh North Castle  Union
 Free  School District number 12 shall notify the legislative bill draft-
 ing commission upon the expiration of such lease agreement in order that
 S. 8273                             3
 
 the commission may maintain an accurate and timely effective  data  base
 of the official text of the laws of the state of New York in furtherance
 of  effectuating the provisions of section 44 of the legislative law and
 section 70-b of the public officers law.

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