Adjusts the maintenance amount for the city school district of the city of New York; requires adjustment to reflect the consumer price index for all urban consumers in the New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island portion of the New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island, New York-New Jersey-Pennsylvania Metropolitan statistical area, as such is defined by the United States Department of Labor.
NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
BILL NUMBER: A350
SPONSOR: Rosenthal L (MS) TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the education law, in relation to adjusting the mainte-
nance amount for the city school district of the city of New York
PURPOSE:
This bill updates and clarifies existing provisions of the education law
to ensure that adequate funding is provided and maintained for New York
City public schools.
SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS:
Section one amends paragraph b of subdivision 5-a of section 2576 of the
education law.
Section two sets forth the effective date.
JUSTIFICATION:
First, when the mayoral control law was enacted, a cornerstone of the
agreement stipulated that the mayor had to commit to maintain annual
funding levels for public schools. This maintenance of effort (MOE)
requirement means that the City must spend at least as much money as it
spent the preceding year, not including costs for pensions and debt
service. However, due to inflation and the rising costs of providing an
adequate education as mandated by the State constitution, the current
MOE does not meet these goals. By including an inflation factor that
reflects the average costs in the New York City metropolitan area over 5
years as part of the MOE, this provision will better reflect actual
costs and better achieve the purpose of maintaining programs and
services from years to year.
Second, when the Campaign for Fiscal Equity v. State New York (CFE)
court decision was settled by the State in the enacted 2007 budget, the
State required the City to add $2.2 billion over the 2006-07 baseline
year to its yearly spending by the conclusion of a phase-in, period. To
ensure that the CFE funds are delivered, this provision reiterates the
City's obligation as provided in the laws of 2007 and explicitly links
payment of the City's $2.2 billion contribution to the MOE by the end of
the phase-in period. These funds, like all MOE funds, will not include
payments for pensions and debt service. This provision will ensure that
ALL these funds will go to the classroom to fund the State consti-
tution's sound basic education requirement as established in CFE.
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
2021-22: A.1564 - Referred to Education
2019-20: A.947 - Referred to Education
2017-18: A.4193 - Referred to Education
2015-16: A.675 - Referred to Education
2013-14: A.703 - Referred to Education
2011-12: A.1779 - Referred to Education
2009-10: A.8695- Referred to Education
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS: Undetermined.
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This bill shall take effect immediately.
