S T A T E O F N E W Y O R K
________________________________________________________________________
S. 6559 A. 8403
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
S E N A T E - A S S E M B L Y
June 16, 2019
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IN SENATE -- Introduced by Sen. THOMAS -- read twice and ordered print-
ed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Rules
IN ASSEMBLY -- Introduced by M. of A. RAYNOR -- read once and referred
to the Committee on Education
AN ACT authorizing the commissioner of education and the chancellor of
the board of regents, with the approval of the board of regents, to
appoint monitors to oversee the Hempstead union free school district;
and providing for the repeal of such provisions upon expiration there-
of
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
Section 1. Definitions. As used in this act:
(a) "commissioner" shall mean the commissioner of education;
(b) "department" shall mean the state education department;
(c) "board of education" or "board" shall mean the board of education
of the Hempstead union free school district;
(d) "school district" or "district" shall mean the Hempstead union
free school district;
(e) "superintendent" shall mean the superintendent of the Hempstead
union free school district;
(f) "comptroller" shall mean the state comptroller; and
(g) "relatives" shall mean a Hempstead union free school district
board member's spouse, domestic partner, child, stepchild, stepparent,
or any person who is a direct descendant of the grandparents of the
current board member or of the board member's spouse or domestic part-
ner.
§ 2. Appointment of a panel of monitors. (a) A panel of three monitors
shall be appointed pursuant to this section for the purpose of providing
oversight of the school district. The commissioner, with the approval of
the board of regents, shall appoint two monitors to provide oversight,
EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD13389-04-9
S. 6559 2 A. 8403
guidance and technical assistance related to the educational policies,
practices, programs and decisions of the school district, the board of
education and the superintendent. The comptroller shall appoint one
monitor to provide oversight, guidance and technical assistance on
fiscal policies, practices, programs and decisions of the school
district, the board of education and the superintendent.
(b) The monitors shall be non-voting ex-officio members of the school
board. The monitors shall be individuals who are not residents, employ-
ees of the school district or relatives of board members of the school
district at the time of their appointment. The monitor appointed by the
comptroller shall have experience in the school district finances. The
monitors appointed by the commissioner, to the extent practicable, shall
have experience in more than one of the following areas:
(i) elementary and secondary education;
(ii) the operation of school districts in New York;
(iii) educating students with disabilities; and
(iv) educating English language learners.
(c) The cost of the monitors shall be borne by the state and not be a
charge against the school district. Monitors shall be paid a salary as
well as actual and necessary expenses and travel related to their
duties.
§ 3. Meetings. (a) The monitors shall be entitled to attend all meet-
ings of the board, including executive sessions; provided however, such
monitors shall not be considered for purposes of establishing a quorum
of the board. The school district shall fully cooperate with the moni-
tors including but not limited to providing such monitors with access to
any necessary documents and records of the district including access to
electronic information systems, databases and planning documents,
consistent with all applicable state and federal statutes including but
not limited to Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) (20
U.S.C. §1232g) and section 2-d of the education law.
(b) The board, in consultation with the monitors, shall adopt a
conflict of interest policy that complies with all existing applicable
laws and regulations that ensures its board members and administration
act in the school district's best interest and comply with applicable
legal requirements. The conflict of interest policy shall include but
not be limited to:
(i) a definition of the circumstances that constitute a conflict of
interest;
(ii) procedures for disclosing a conflict of interest to the board;
(iii) a requirement that the person with the conflict of interest not
be present at or participate in board deliberations or votes on the
matter giving rise to such conflict, provided that nothing in this
subdivision shall prohibit the board from requesting that the person
with the conflict of interest present information as background or
answer questions at a board meeting prior to the commencement of delib-
erations or voting relating thereto;
(iv) a prohibition against any attempt by the person with the conflict
to influence improperly the deliberation or voting on the matter giving
rise to such conflict; and
(v) a requirement that the existence and resolution of the conflict be
documented in the board's records, including in the minutes of any meet-
ing at which the conflict was discussed or voted upon.
§ 4. Academic improvement and financial plans. (a) The academic
improvement plan and the financial plan shall be developed by the
district in accordance with the shared decision making committee as
S. 6559 3 A. 8403
defined in Part 100.11 of the commissioner's regulations and approved by
the monitors. The academic improvement plan shall contain a series of
programmatic recommendations designed to improve academic performance
over the period of the plan in those academic areas that the commission-
er and board of regents deem to be in need of improvement. Such plan may
include potential expenditure initiatives but all such expenditures
shall be incorporated within the financial plan as specified by this
act.
(b) The financial plan shall ensure with respect to the major operat-
ing funds for each school year that annual aggregate operating expenses
shall not exceed annual aggregate operating revenues. The financial plan
and each financial plan modification shall provide that the major oper-
ating funds of the district be balanced in accordance with generally
accepted accounting principles. The financial plan shall include state-
ments of all estimated revenues, expenditures, and cash flow projections
of the district.
(c) No later than November first, two thousand nineteen, the district
shall submit to the monitors both the academic improvement plan and
financial plan for their review and approval. Such plans shall cover the
district's two thousand nineteen--two thousand twenty school year and
the four subsequent school years. Prior to adopting the plans and
submitting the plans to the monitors for review and approval, the board
of education shall conduct a public hearing on the plans and consider
the input of the community. The proposed plans shall be made public on
the district's website at least three business days before such public
hearing. No later than fifteen days after submission, the monitors
shall approve or veto the plans. In the event the monitors disapprove
either plan, the monitors shall provide the board of education written
notice of its reasons for disapproval. Within fifteen days from the
receipt of such notice, the board of education shall amend the proposed
plans consistent with the monitors' recommendations and resubmit it to
the monitors. If the monitors do not approve of such amended plan, the
monitors shall impose a plan of their own formulation.
§ 5. Fiscal and operational oversight. (a) The board of education
shall annually submit the school district's proposed budget for the next
succeeding school year to the monitors no later than 45 days before the
date scheduled for the school district's budget vote. The monitors
shall review the proposed budget to ensure that it is balanced within
the context of revenue and expenditure estimates and mandated programs.
The monitors shall also review the proposed budget to ensure that it, to
the greatest extent possible, is consistent with the district academic
improvement plan and financial plan developed and adopted pursuant to
this act. The monitors shall present their findings to the board of
education no later than 30 days prior to the date scheduled for the
school district's budget vote. The board of education, with the
approval of the monitors, shall make amendments to the proposed budget
consistent with any recommendations made by the monitors. The school
district shall make available on the district's website: the initial
proposed budget, the monitors' findings, and the final proposed budget
prior to the date of the school district's budget vote. Nothing herein
shall be construed to abrogate the duties and responsibilities of the
school district consistent with applicable state law and regulations.
(b) The district shall provide quarterly reports to the panel of moni-
tors, and annual reports to the commissioner, board of regents and comp-
troller on the fiscal and operational status of the school district. In
addition, the monitors shall provide an annual report to the commission-
S. 6559 4 A. 8403
er, board of regents, and comptroller on all contracts that the district
entered into throughout the year.
(c) The comptroller shall annually conduct a general fiscal audit of
the school district, and the school district shall post the comp-
troller's audit and the board's response on the district's website.
(d) The monitors shall have the authority to approve or disapprove the
appointment of a current or future superintendent by the board of educa-
tion.
(e) The monitors shall have the authority to approve or deny all trav-
el outside the district paid for by the district.
(f) The monitors shall have authority to approve or deny all contracts
and expenditures of the district, except for collective bargaining
agreements negotiated in accordance with article 14 of the civil service
law.
(g) The monitors shall arbitrate any conflicts between the superinten-
dent and the board of education and among the members of the board of
education.
§ 6. This act shall take effect immediately and shall expire and be
deemed repealed on and after June 30, 2024.