Bill Text: NY S02302 | 2011-2012 | General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Enacts school technology planning act requiring regional or district-wide technology planning by school districts; also assigns a role for the state education department to provide technical assistance to schools, review and approve district plans and to report to the governor and the legislature on planning and funding.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2011-01-18 - REFERRED TO EDUCATION [S02302 Detail]
Download: New_York-2011-S02302-Introduced.html
S T A T E O F N E W Y O R K ________________________________________________________________________ 2302 2011-2012 Regular Sessions I N S E N A T E January 18, 2011 ___________ Introduced by Sen. KRUGER -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Education AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to enacting the school technology planning act THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM- BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS: 1 Section 1. Short title. This act shall be known and may be cited as 2 the "School Technology Planning Act". 3 S 2. Legislative findings. a. The legislature finds that: 4 i. Beginning with the 1997--1998 school year, schools became eligible 5 for federally mandated telecommunications discounts. Schools must apply 6 for these dollars and will receive discounts on a first-come first-serve 7 basis. Typically, districts best poised to access discounts and the 8 scores of public and private grants available for educational technology 9 are those which are more technologically advanced. Districts which are 10 typically less successful in accessing aid are those that need technical 11 assistance and do little or no planning. 12 ii. A good percentage of districts in New York state do not have a 13 technology plan or have a plan lacking essential components. Planning is 14 crucial to effective use of technology integration into curriculum. 15 District technology planning activities go a long way in helping 16 districts plan, implement their plans, seek funds, coordinate and 17 conduct teacher training, provide in-house technical assistance, and 18 maintain technology systems. 19 b. The legislature declares its intent to ameliorate the deficiencies 20 it has identified in subdivision a of this section through the enactment 21 of this act in furtherance of equipping our students with the most 22 up-to-date educational tools needed for them to be self-sufficient func- 23 tioning members of society by participating in the technology that is 24 revolutionizing that society. EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD06799-01-1 S. 2302 2 1 S 3. The education law is amended by adding a new section 755 to read 2 as follows: 3 S 755. SCHOOL TECHNOLOGY PLANNING. 1. REGIONAL OR DISTRICT-WIDE TECH- 4 NOLOGY PLANNING. A. EACH SCHOOL DISTRICT, EITHER INDIVIDUALLY OR IN 5 COMBINATION WITH ONE OR MORE OTHER DISTRICTS OR ONE OR MORE PUBLIC 6 LIBRARY SYSTEMS, SHALL SUBMIT TO THE DEPARTMENT WITHIN NINETY DAYS IMME- 7 DIATELY AFTER THE EFFECTIVE DATE OF THIS SECTION A FIVE-YEAR EDUCATIONAL 8 TECHNOLOGY PLAN AS DESCRIBED IN THIS SUBDIVISION. 9 B. THE EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY PLAN SHALL ADDRESS A DISTRICT'S OR A 10 CONSORTIUM OF DISTRICTS' PLANS FOR IMPLEMENTING THE INTEGRATION OF 11 EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY INTO CLASSROOM INSTRUCTION AND ACTIVITIES OVER A 12 PERIOD OF FIVE YEARS. THE PLAN SHALL INCLUDE, BUT NOT BE LIMITED TO, THE 13 FOLLOWING: MAJOR GOALS AND EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES FOR TECHNOLOGY INTE- 14 GRATION WITHIN THE DISTRICT OR DISTRICTS; GOALS FOR INTEGRATION OF 15 EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY IN VARIOUS SUBJECTS/GRADE LEVELS; A LIST OF 16 PRIORITIES AND DIRECTIONS FOR IMPLEMENTING THE PLAN; RESULTS OF 17 DISTRICT-WIDE BUILDING AND INSTRUCTIONAL NEEDS ASSESSMENTS; BENCHMARKS 18 FOR TIMELINES AND IMPLEMENTATION; ASSESSMENT PROCESSES FOR VARIOUS STAG- 19 ES OF IMPLEMENTATION; PROVISIONS FOR ONGOING FUNDING; PLANS FOR PRE- AND 20 IN-SERVICE STAFF DEVELOPMENT AND TRAINING; PLANS FOR PROVIDING ONGOING 21 TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND MAINTENANCE. 22 C. THE PLANNING PROCESS SHOULD CONSIDER AND THE PLAN MAY ADDRESS HOW 23 THE SCHOOL'S TECHNOLOGY EFFORTS CAN BE LINKED WITH OTHER COMMUNITY TECH- 24 NOLOGY NETWORKS IN PLACE OR UNDER DEVELOPMENT. SUCH OTHER NETWORKS MAY 25 INCLUDE INFORMATION BASED LABOR EXCHANGE, EMPLOYMENT, TRAINING OR 26 LIBRARY SERVICES, AND MAY ADDRESS THE EXTENT TO WHICH COORDINATION AND 27 INFORMATION SHARING IS APPROPRIATE. 28 D. ANNUALLY THEREAFTER THE REGIONAL OR DISTRICT-WIDE EDUCATIONAL TECH- 29 NOLOGY PLANS SHALL BE UPDATED TO REFLECT: 30 (I) ACTIONS TAKEN TO MEET THE GOALS REFLECTED IN THE FIVE-YEAR PLAN; 31 (II) CHANGES TO THE PLAN AS A RESULT OF REVISED COMPLETION TIMELINES 32 AND/OR IMPLEMENTATION SCHEDULES OR NEW OR REVISED GOALS AND/OR 33 DIRECTIONS FOR PLAN IMPLEMENTATION; 34 (III) FINANCIAL ACCOUNTING OF LOCAL, STATE AND FEDERAL EXPENDITURES 35 APPLIED IN CARRYING OUT THE PLAN AND IN SATISFYING OTHER DEPARTMENTAL 36 REPORTING REQUIREMENTS APPLICABLE TO THE EXPENDITURE OF FUNDS FOR EDUCA- 37 TIONAL TECHNOLOGY; AND 38 (IV) ANY OTHER INFORMATION IN SATISFACTION OF OTHER DEPARTMENTAL 39 REPORTING REQUIREMENTS. 40 E. INDIVIDUALS INVOLVED IN THE PLANNING PROCESS SHALL INCLUDE, AMONG 41 OTHERS, REPRESENTATIVES DRAWN FROM TEACHERS AND OTHER SCHOOL DISTRICT 42 PERSONNEL WHO MAY USE, MAINTAIN, INSTALL, OR MANAGE EQUIPMENT ON A REGU- 43 LAR BASIS. 44 2. ROLE OF THE DEPARTMENT. A. THE DEPARTMENT SHALL SUPPORT THE USE OF 45 TECHNOLOGY IN SCHOOLS BY PROVIDING TO SCHOOL DISTRICTS, UPON REQUEST, 46 WITH PRIORITY GIVEN TO THOSE DISTRICTS MOST IN NEED OF ASSISTANCE, TECH- 47 NICAL ASSISTANCE IN THE PLANNING, USE AND APPLICATIONS OF EDUCATIONAL 48 TECHNOLOGY. SUCH TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE SHALL INCLUDE BUT NOT BE LIMITED 49 TO PROVIDING INFORMATION AND ASSISTANCE REGARDING LONG TERM EDUCATIONAL 50 TECHNOLOGY PLANNING AND GOALS; METHODS FOR INTEGRATING TECHNOLOGY INTO 51 CURRICULUM AND THE DEPARTMENT'S LEARNING STANDARDS; THE PURCHASE, 52 INSTALLATION AND MAINTENANCE OF EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY EQUIPMENT; ANY 53 ACTIVITIES RELATED TO THE TRAINING AND STAFF DEVELOPMENT OF TEACHERS AND 54 OTHER INSTRUCTIONAL PERSONNEL IN SUCH EQUIPMENT AND TECHNOLOGY; AND 55 SHARING EXAMPLES OF MODEL SCHOOL DISTRICT EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY PLANS, S. 2302 3 1 PLANNING GUIDES, NEEDS ASSESSMENT SURVEYS, AND OTHER RELEVANT REFER- 2 ENCES. 3 B. THE DEPARTMENT SHALL REVIEW REGIONAL OR DISTRICT-WIDE EDUCATIONAL 4 TECHNOLOGY PLANS TO ENSURE THAT MINIMUM COMPONENTS AS DESCRIBED IN THIS 5 SECTION ARE ADDRESSED. UPON DETERMINING THAT SUCH MINIMUM COMPONENTS 6 ARE ADDRESSED, THE DEPARTMENT SHALL APPROVE SUCH PLAN AND NOTIFY THE 7 SCHOOL DISTRICT OF SUCH APPROVAL. 8 C. THE DEPARTMENT SHALL SUBMIT A REPORT TO THE GOVERNOR, THE TEMPORARY 9 PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE, THE SPEAKER OF THE ASSEMBLY, AND THE CHAIR- 10 PERSONS OF THE EDUCATION COMMITTEES OF THE SENATE AND THE ASSEMBLY BY 11 JANUARY FIRST, TWO THOUSAND TWELVE BASED ON INFORMATION GATHERED FROM 12 REGIONAL AND DISTRICT-WIDE EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY PLANS AND OTHER DATA 13 AVAILABLE TO THE DEPARTMENT. THE REPORT SHALL INCLUDE BUT NOT BE LIMITED 14 TO THE FOLLOWING: PROJECTED COSTS FOR SCHOOL DISTRICTS TO IMPLEMENT 15 EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY PLANS, AND FOR THE DEPARTMENT TO ASSIST SCHOOL 16 DISTRICTS; THE APPLICATION OF LOCAL, STATE AND FEDERAL EDUCATIONAL TECH- 17 NOLOGY AID IN MEETING SCHOOL DISTRICTS' EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY GOALS AND 18 NEEDS; THE DEPARTMENT'S ACTIONS AND PLANS TO ASSIST SCHOOLS IN IMPLE- 19 MENTING EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY PLANS AND GOALS; RECOMMENDATIONS FOR 20 STRUCTURING STATE EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY AID TO BEST SERVE SCHOOL 21 DISTRICTS' EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY GOALS AND NEEDS AND ENSURE THE MOST 22 EFFECTIVE AND EFFICIENT USE OF STATE AID; AND ANY OTHER RECOMMENDATIONS 23 THE DEPARTMENT DEEMS RELEVANT. 24 S 4. This act shall take effect immediately.