BILL NUMBER:S1923

TITLE OF BILL:
An act
to amend the state finance law, in relation to prohibiting reductions in
appropriations for the support of education during the state fiscal year

PURPOSE:
To eliminate budget cuts in New York City public schools from July 1st
up to and including the beginning of the September school year and
allow for these schools to fiscally counterbalance their budgets and
appropriate necessary monies toward administrative costs, personnel
and physical costs without worries of another budget cut pending
before the beginning of the school year.

SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
A new paragraph (f) is amended into Subdivision 2, Section 40, of the
State Finance Law.

EXISTING LAN:
While there is no current New York State law to block mid-year school
aid cuts, these cuts will adversely impact students and faculty in
the educational school system as class sizes increase with fewer
teachers, the compromise of new reading materials and books, and
oversight of physical projects that funds first made available could
have possibly addressed.
              

JUSTIFICATION:
Should the present continue where another round of allocated funds
destined for programs in the school districts are cut, the results
will be more open positions unfilled, further halting of purchases of
new supplies, larger decreases in program and after-school funding,
the scaling back of construction plans and an overall freeze on
district spending.

The New York State School Boards Association have cite mid-year school
aid cuts as devastating based on school districts already locking in
contracts with employee unions and transportation companies; the set
placement of student class schedules for the year where cuts will
force students to enroll in classes that may not interest them, which
impedes their education; and the only viable option for schools to
cut costs since local tax bills axe sent out by July 1st. School
districts are
given little, if any, time to cope with these cuts before the pending
school year.

Lastly, recent funding levels show that when New York State has not
engaged in these mid-year budget cuts, English and Math test scores
for grades 3-8 rose 14% and 13% respectively. Further cuts impede a
student's ability to learn.

LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
2010: 5.6467 - Referred to Finance. 2011-2012: 5.1270 - Referred to
Finance.

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS: None.

EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.