Requires annual reporting by city school districts in cities with a population of over two hundred fifty thousand regarding the arbitration process in teacher disciplinary proceedings.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
10685
IN ASSEMBLY
August 28, 2024
___________
Introduced by COMMITTEE ON RULES -- (at request of M. of A. Novakhov) --
read once and referred to the Committee on Education
AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to reporting requirements
regarding financial expenditures related to certain teacher discipli-
nary proceedings
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 "3020-a arbitration process reporting act".
3 § 2. Legislative findings and declaration of purpose. It is in the
4 public interest to ensure transparency and accountability in the finan-
5 cial expenditures of school districts in cities with a population
6 exceeding 250,000 that have a collective bargaining agreement. The
7 3020-a arbitration process, as established under section 3020-a of the
8 education law, involves significant financial expenditures that should
9 be disclosed to ensure responsible fiscal management. The citizens and
10 elected officials of such cities have a right to be informed about the
11 financial aspects of the 3020-a arbitration process to promote public
12 trust and informed decision-making. Further, detailed financial report-
13 ing can help identify trends, inefficiencies, and opportunities for
14 reform in the arbitration process and transparency in the arbitration
15 process can contribute to better labor relations and more effective
16 governance.
17 § 3. The education law is amended by adding a new section 3020-b to
18 read as follows:
19 § 3020-b. Arbitration process reporting. 1. Any city school district
20 in a city with a population exceeding two hundred fifty thousand that
21 has a collective bargaining agreement shall prepare an annual itemized
22 financial report on the arbitration process established pursuant to
23 section three thousand twenty-a of this article.
24 2. Such report shall include, but not be limited to:
25 a. every case processed pursuant to the arbitration process estab-
26 lished pursuant to section three thousand twenty-a of this article in
27 such city school district during the previous school year;
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD15930-01-4
A. 10685 2
1 b. the amount of money spent on each case, itemized by expense catego-
2 ry, including but not limited to legal fees, arbitrator fees, and admin-
3 istrative costs;
4 c. the duration of each case;
5 d. the specific charges brought in each case;
6 e. the final resolution or outcome of each case; and
7 f. a summary page, which shall include but not be limited to:
8 (i) the total number of cases processed pursuant to the arbitration
9 process established pursuant to section three thousand twenty-a of this
10 article in such city school district during the previous school year;
11 (ii) the average amount of money spent per case;
12 (iii) the total amount of money spent on all cases;
13 (iv) the average duration of each case;
14 (v) the types of charges brought in such cases; and
15 (vi) the number of cases that resulted in a particular resolution or
16 outcome.
17 3. a. No later than March first of each year, each city school
18 district required to prepare such report pursuant to subdivision one of
19 this section shall submit such report to the comptroller, the assembly
20 ways and means committee, the senate finance committee, and all members
21 of the assembly or senate representing each such city.
22 b. Such report shall be made publicly available on the website of each
23 such city and through public records requests.
24 4. a. The assembly ways and means committee and the senate finance
25 committee shall hold annual public hearings to review and discuss the
26 annual reports required pursuant to this section. Such public hearings
27 shall allow for public input and commentary on the findings of such
28 reports.
29 b. The assembly ways and means committee and the senate finance
30 committee shall issue annual summaries of the findings and recommenda-
31 tions contained in such annual reports and discussed at such annual
32 public hearings.
33 § 4. This act shall take effect immediately.
