S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
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                                   8479
 
                        2019-2020 Regular Sessions
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                               July 10, 2019
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by M. of A. GANTT -- read once and referred to the Committee
   on Education
 
 AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to requiring the board of
   education of the city school district of  the  city  of  Rochester  to
   submit a proposition on school governance

   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. Section 2553 of the education law is amended  by  adding  a
 new subdivision 11 to read as follows:
   11.  A. NOTWITHSTANDING ANY LAW TO THE CONTRARY THE BOARD OF EDUCATION
 OF THE CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT OF THE CITY  OF  ROCHESTER  SHALL  SUBMIT  A
 PROPOSITION  ON  SCHOOL  GOVERNANCE  AT THE EARLIER OF EITHER THE ANNUAL
 SCHOOL ELECTION OR GENERAL ELECTION.  SUCH PROPOSITION SHALL STATE:
   "DUE TO THE EDUCATIONAL CRISIS STUDENTS IN OUR FAILING  SCHOOL  SYSTEM
 FACE,  SHOULD  THE BOARD OF EDUCATION OF THE CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT OF THE
 CITY OF ROCHESTER SUSPEND ITS DUTIES AND AUTHORITY FOR A PERIOD OF  FIVE
 YEARS,  TO COMMENCE AT A TIME AGREED TO BY THE COMMISSIONER OF EDUCATION
 AND THE BOARD OF REGENTS, DURING WHICH TIME THE COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCA-
 TION  SHALL  TAKE  OVER  THE  DUTIES  AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE BOARD,
 INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO APPOINTING A SUPERINTENDENT WHO WILL REPORT
 DIRECTLY TO SUCH COMMISSIONER, UNTIL THE BOARD OF REGENTS  APPOINTS  THE
 CHILDREN'S  EDUCATION  EXCELLENCE TASK FORCE WHOSE MEMBERS WILL SERVE AT
 THE PLEASURE OF THE BOARD OF REGENTS FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE FIVE  YEAR
 PERIOD."
   B.  THE NOTICE OF ANY ANNUAL SCHOOL ELECTION AT WHICH SUCH PROPOSITION
 SHALL BE SUBMITTED PURSUANT TO THIS SECTION SHALL  INCLUDE  A  STATEMENT
 THAT  SUCH PROPOSITION WILL BE SO SUBMITTED. IN THE EVENT THAT THE BOARD
 OF EDUCATION FAILS OR  REFUSES  TO  INCLUDE  SUCH  INFORMATION  IN  SUCH
 NOTICE, THE COMMISSIONER MAY PRESCRIBE THE MANNER IN WHICH NOTICE OF THE
 SUBMISSION OF SUCH A PROPOSITION SHALL BE GIVEN. PROVIDED, HOWEVER, IF A
 REFERENDUM IS EXERCISED IN THE CITY OF ROCHESTER IN RELATION TO A PROPO-
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
              

                                                            LBD13365-03-9

 A. 8479                             2
 
 SITION  ON  SCHOOL GOVERNANCE AS STATED ABOVE AND THE REFERRED ORDINANCE
 IS SUSTAINED, SUCH PROPOSITION SHALL BE ADOPTED AND CONSIDERED AS IF  IT
 WERE  SUBMITTED BY THE BOARD OF EDUCATION OF THE CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT OF
 THE CITY OF ROCHESTER FOR THE PURPOSES OF THIS SECTION.
   C.  UPON  ADOPTION  OF  SUCH PROPOSITION, THE POWERS AND DUTIES OF THE
 BOARD OF EDUCATION OF THE CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT OF THE CITY OF  ROCHESTER
 SHALL  BE SUSPENDED IMMEDIATELY AND BE ASSUMED BY THE COMMISSIONER UNTIL
 SUCH TIME AS THE BOARD OF REGENTS APPOINTS A CHILDREN'S EDUCATION EXCEL-
 LENCE TASK FORCE FOR THE CITY OF ROCHESTER  BUT  NOT  LONGER  THAN  FIVE
 YEARS.
   D. THE BOARD OF REGENTS IS HEREBY AUTHORIZED AND DIRECTED TO APPOINT A
 CHILDREN'S  EDUCATION EXCELLENCE TASK FORCE FOR THE CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT
 OF THE CITY OF ROCHESTER. SUCH TASK FORCE WILL CONSIST OF FIVE  MEMBERS.
 MEMBERS  OF  THE  TASK  FORCE  SHALL  BE  LOCAL RESIDENTS OF THE CITY OF
 ROCHESTER, ONE MEMBER MUST BE A PARENT WHOSE CHILD IS CURRENTLY ENROLLED
 IN THE CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT OF THE CITY OF ROCHESTER.  ALL MEMBERS SHALL
 BE SELECTED BASED ON INPUT FROM PARENTS OF CHILDREN ENROLLED  IN  PUBLIC
 SCHOOL  IN  THE CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT OF THE CITY OF ROCHESTER, RESIDENTS
 OF THE CITY OF ROCHESTER, EDUCATION EXPERTS, INCLUDING SPECIAL EDUCATION
 AND URBAN EDUCATION, THE COMMISSIONER,  AND  OTHERS,  AS  THE  BOARD  OF
 REGENTS  DEEMS  NECESSARY.   MEMBERS OF THE TASK FORCE WILL SERVE AT THE
 PLEASURE OF THE BOARD OF REGENTS BUT NOT LONGER THAN FIVE YEARS. MEMBERS
 MUST COLLECTIVELY HAVE  EXTENSIVE  KNOWLEDGE  IN  EDUCATION  CURRICULUM,
 FINANCES,  CULTURAL  COMPETENCY,  BILINGUAL EDUCATION, SPECIAL EDUCATION
 AND PARENTAL ENGAGEMENT.
   E. THE COMMISSIONER AND THE BOARD OF REGENTS ARE HEREBY AUTHORIZED AND
 DIRECTED TO ESTABLISH AN EXTENSIVE IMPROVEMENT  PLAN  FOR  THE  CITY  OF
 ROCHESTER SCHOOL DISTRICT WITH HELP FROM THE TASK FORCE. THE COMMISSION-
 ER  AND THE BOARD OF REGENTS SHALL SEEK THE INPUT OF PARENTS OF CHILDREN
 ENROLLED IN THE CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT OF THE CITY OF ROCHESTER, RESIDENTS
 OF THE CITY OF ROCHESTER, EXPERTS IN AREAS INCLUDING SCHOOL  GOVERNANCE,
 PARENTAL  ENGAGEMENT,  STUDENT ENGAGEMENT, PEDAGOGY, CULTURALLY RELEVANT
 INSTRUCTION AND CURRICULUM,  CULTURALLY  RESPONSIVE  SCHOOLS,  BILINGUAL
 EDUCATION  COMMUNITY  SCHOOLS, SPECIAL EDUCATION, AND ANY OTHER INDIVID-
 UALS OR GROUPS THE COMMISSIONER, BOARD  OF  REGENTS  OR  THE  CHILDREN'S
 EDUCATION EXCELLENCE TASK FORCE DEEMS NECESSARY. SUCH EXTENSIVE IMPROVE-
 MENT PLAN SHALL INCLUDE A PROCESS AND TIMELINE FOR IMPROVEMENT AND TRAN-
 SITION FROM THE TASK FORCE TO AN ELECTED BOARD OF EDUCATION FOR THE CITY
 OF  ROCHESTER  WITHIN  FIVE  YEARS  FROM THE DATE OF THE ADOPTION OF THE
 PROPOSITION AUTHORIZING THE COMMISSIONER TO ASSUME  THE  DUTIES  OF  THE
 BOARD  OF  EDUCATION. SUCH EXTENSIVE IMPROVEMENT PLAN SHALL BE PUBLISHED
 ON THE WEBSITE FOR THE CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT OF THE CITY OF ROCHESTER AND
 A COPY SHALL BE SUBMITTED TO THE SPEAKER OF THE ASSEMBLY,  THE  MAJORITY
 LEADER OF THE SENATE AND THE GOVERNOR.
   F.  THE  COMMISSIONER  AND  BOARD  OF REGENTS SHALL HOLD AT LEAST FOUR
 PUBLIC MEETINGS TO SOLICIT INPUT ON THE EXTENSIVE IMPROVEMENT  PLAN  AND
 TWO  PUBLIC  MEETINGS ON THE PROPOSED PLAN.  SUCH PROPOSED PLAN SHALL BE
 IMPLEMENTED AT LEAST TWENTY-FIVE DAYS AFTER THE SECOND PUBLIC MEETING ON
 THE PLAN.
   G. THE COMMISSIONER AND BOARD OF REGENTS MAY DESIGNATE THE TASK  FORCE
 ESTABLISHED  PURSUANT  TO  PARAGRAPH  D OF THIS SUBDIVISION TO CARRY OUT
 DUTIES REQUIRED TO DEVELOP AND IMPLEMENT THE EXTENSIVE IMPROVEMENT  PLAN
 WITH  BENCHMARKS  FOR IMPLEMENTATION. THE COMMISSIONER IS AUTHORIZED AND
 DIRECTED TO INCLUDE THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE REPORT ISSUED ON NOVEMBER
 FOURTEENTH, TWO THOUSAND EIGHTEEN TITLED  "A  REVIEW  OF  THE  ROCHESTER
 SCHOOL  DISTRICT"  FROM  THE  DISTINGUISHED  EDUCATOR  IN  THE EXTENSIVE

 A. 8479                             3
 
 IMPROVEMENT PLAN AND TO TAKE ANY ACTIONS  NECESSARY  TO  IMPLEMENT  SUCH
 PLAN.
   § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.