Bill Text: NY A03846 | 2015-2016 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Directs the commissioner of education to establish performance standards for school districts for exemption from requirements mandated by the state.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 22-1)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2016-01-06 - referred to education [A03846 Detail]

Download: New_York-2015-A03846-Introduced.html

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                           S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
       ________________________________________________________________________
                                         3846
                              2015-2016 Regular Sessions
                                 I N  A S S E M B L Y
                                   January 27, 2015
                                      ___________
       Introduced  by M. of A. RA -- read once and referred to the Committee on
         Education
       AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to directing the  commis-
         sioner  of  education  to  establish  performance standards for school
         districts for exemption from requirements mandated by the state
         THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
       BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
    1    Section 1. The education law is amended by adding a new section 319 to
    2  read as follows:
    3    S  319.  SCHOOL DISTRICT EXEMPTION FROM CERTAIN REQUIREMENTS; PERFORM-
    4  ANCE STANDARDS. THE COMMISSIONER IS HEREBY AUTHORIZED  AND  DIRECTED  TO
    5  ESTABLISH  A  PROGRAM  TO  EXEMPT  SCHOOL  DISTRICTS  THAT MEET SPECIFIC
    6  PERFORMANCE STANDARDS FROM CERTAIN REQUIREMENTS MANDATED  BY  THE  STATE
    7  AND  IMPOSED  ON SCHOOL DISTRICTS PURSUANT TO CHAPTER FIFTY-SEVEN OF THE
    8  LAWS OF TWO THOUSAND ELEVEN. THE COMMISSIONER SHALL:
    9    1. ESTABLISH WHAT CATEGORIES WITHIN THE EDUCATIONAL  SYSTEM  SHALL  BE
   10  USED  FOR  EVALUATING SCHOOL DISTRICT PERFORMANCE. SUCH CATEGORIES SHALL
   11  INCLUDE, BUT NOT BE LIMITED TO,  TEST  SCORES,  STUDENT  ATTENDANCE  AND
   12  GRADUATION RATES;
   13    2.  ESTABLISH  STANDARDS,  CRITERIA  AND  LEVELS  OF  PERFORMANCE  AND
   14  ACHIEVEMENT THAT A SCHOOL DISTRICT MUST MEET IN EACH  SUCH  CATEGORY  IN
   15  ORDER TO BE ELIGIBLE FOR EXEMPTION FROM SUCH REQUIREMENTS;
   16    3.  NOTIFY EACH SCHOOL DISTRICT OF THE CATEGORIES ESTABLISHED PURSUANT
   17  TO SUBDIVISION ONE OF THIS  SECTION  AND  THE  STANDARDS,  CRITERIA  AND
   18  LEVELS  ESTABLISHED  PURSUANT  TO  SUBDIVISION TWO OF THIS SECTION. SUCH
   19  NOTIFICATION SHALL BE MADE ANNUALLY AND IN A MANNER AND  AT  A  TIME  TO
   20  ALLOW SCHOOL DISTRICTS SUFFICIENT TIME FOR REVIEW PRIOR TO THE COMMENCE-
   21  MENT OF THE SCHOOL YEAR;
   22    4.  DETERMINE  FROM  WHICH REQUIREMENTS A SCHOOL DISTRICT MEETING SUCH
   23  STANDARDS, CRITERIA AND LEVELS SHALL BE EXEMPT;
        EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                             [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                  LBD04363-01-5
       A. 3846                             2
    1    5. DETERMINE IF DIFFERENT SETS OF SUCH STANDARDS, CRITERIA AND  LEVELS
    2  SHOULD  BE  USED FOR SCHOOL DISTRICTS DUE TO DIFFERENCES IN THE SIZE AND
    3  DEMOGRAPHICS OF SCHOOL DISTRICTS ACROSS THE STATE;
    4    6.  ESTABLISH  AN  APPLICATION PROCEDURE WHEREBY A SCHOOL DISTRICT MAY
    5  DEMONSTRATE THAT IT HAS MET SUCH  STANDARDS,  CRITERIA  AND  LEVELS  AND
    6  APPLY FOR EXEMPTION FROM SUCH REQUIREMENTS;
    7    7.  GRANT  EXEMPTION  FROM  SUCH  REQUIREMENTS TO SCHOOL DISTRICTS FOR
    8  WHICH AN APPLICATION FOR EXEMPTION IS APPROVED;
    9    8. DETERMINE THE LENGTH OF TIME THAT A SCHOOL DISTRICT THAT  HAS  BEEN
   10  GRANTED AN EXEMPTION FROM SUCH REQUIREMENTS SHALL REMAIN EXEMPT; AND
   11    9.  PROMULGATE  RULES AND REGULATIONS CONSISTENT WITH AND NECESSARY TO
   12  IMPLEMENT THE PROVISIONS OF THIS SECTION.
   13    S 2. This act shall take effect immediately and shall apply to  school
   14  years beginning on or after July 1, 2016.