NY State Senate Bill 2023-S7842A

Senate Bill S7842A

2023-2024 Legislative Session

Authorizes a weighted selection process for the allocation of certain prekindergarten seats

download bill text pdf

Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Education Committee

Introduced
- In Committee Assembly
- In Committee Senate
- On Floor Calendar Assembly
- On Floor Calendar Senate
- Passed Assembly
- Passed Senate
Delivered to Governor
Signed By Governor

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Actions

View Actions

	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
Apr 16, 2024	print number 7842a
Apr 16, 2024	amend and recommit to education
Jan 03, 2024	referred to education
Dec 29, 2023	referred to rules

Bill Amendments

Original

A (Active)

2023-S7842 - Details

See Assembly Version of this Bill:: A8074
Current Committee:: Senate Education
Law Section:: Education Law
Laws Affected:: Amd §3602-e, Ed L

2023-S7842 - Summary

Authorizes a weighted selection process prioritizing children who would be eligible to receive free or reduced price lunch and/or who are emergent multilingual learners for the allocation of certain prekindergarten seats in school districts where there are more eligible children than can be served in a given school year.

2023-S7842 - Sponsor Memo

                                 
BILL NUMBER: S7842

SPONSOR: JACKSON
 
PURPOSE:

Authorizes a weighted selection process for the allocation of certain
prekindergarten seats.

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section 1 amends section 3602-e of the education law to provide that a
school district offering prekindergarten program services and utilizing
a random selection basis for enrollment when there is a greater number
of eligible children than can be served by such a prekindergarten
program may utilize a weighted selection process which first enrolls
children who are eligible for free or reduced price lunch and English
language learners.

Section 2 sets the effective date.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

Many public-school districts in New York offer preschool program
services, however the utilization rates of these programs can vary based
on location. While some schools have unused slots for pre-k, many other
districts face more demand for prekindergarten slots than they can
offer, and these students are waitlisted. Under current law, school
districts may utilize a lottery system to place students in prekinder-
garten programs when demand for slots exceeds availability.  One draw-
back of this approach, however, is that students who may have few acces-
sible alternatives for prekindergarten instruction,' such as those who
are English language learners or socioeconomically disadvantaged, may be
left without any prekindergarten instruction at all under a lottery-
based admissions system. This legislation allows school districts who
find themselves with fewer prekindergarten slots than demanded to prior-
itize students who would have the most trouble securing prekindergarten
services outside of the public school district.

 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

New Bill

 
STATE AND LOCAL FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

None.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.

2023-S7842 - Bill Text download pdf

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   7842
 
                        2023-2024 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                             December 29, 2023
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen. JACKSON -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be committed to the Committee on Rules
 
 AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to authorizing a weighted
   selection process for the allocation of certain prekindergarten seats
 
   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section  1.  Paragraph  i  of  subdivision  7 of section 3602-e of the
 education law, as amended by section 19 of part B of chapter 57  of  the
 laws of 2007, is amended to read as follows:
   i.  establishes a method for selection of eligible children to receive
 prekindergarten program services on a random selection basis where there
 are more eligible children than can be served in a  given  school  year,
 provided, however, THAT IN A SCHOOL DISTRICT WHERE THERE ARE MORE ELIGI-
 BLE  CHILDREN THAN CAN BE SERVED IN A GIVEN SCHOOL YEAR THAT SUCH SCHOOL
 DISTRICT ELECT TO FIRST ENROLL CHILDREN WHO WOULD BE ELIGIBLE  FOR  FREE
 OR  REDUCED  PRICE  LUNCH AND/OR CHILDREN WHO ARE ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEAR-
 NERS. IF A DISTRICT ELECTS TO PRIORITIZE ENROLLMENT OF CHILDREN WHO  ARE
 ELIGIBLE FOR FREE OR REDUCED PRICE LUNCH AND/OR CHILDREN WHO ARE ENGLISH
 LANGUAGE  LEARNERS AND THERE ARE MORE SUCH ELIGIBLE CHILDREN THAN CAN BE
 SERVED IN A GIVEN SCHOOL YEAR, SUCH SCHOOL DISTRICT  SHALL  ESTABLISH  A
 METHOD FOR SELECTION AMONG SUCH ELIGIBLE CHILDREN ON A RANDOM BASIS, AND
 PROVIDED FURTHER that a school district that operated a targeted prekin-
 dergarten  program in the base year may use the selection process estab-
 lished for such program.
   § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
 
 
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD11757-01-3

2023-S7842A (ACTIVE) - Details

See Assembly Version of this Bill:: A8074
Current Committee:: Senate Education
Law Section:: Education Law
Laws Affected:: Amd §3602-e, Ed L

2023-S7842A (ACTIVE) - Summary

2023-S7842A (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                 
BILL NUMBER: S7842A

SPONSOR: JACKSON
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the education law, in relation to authorizing a weighted
selection process for the allocation of certain prekindergarten seats

 
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:

Authorizes a weighted selection process for the allocation of certain
prekindergarten seats

 
SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS:

Section 1 amends section 3602-e of the education law to provide that a
school district offering prekindergarten program services and utilizing
a random selection basis for enrollment when there is a greater number
of eligible children than can be served by such a prekindergarten
program may utilize a weighted selection process which first enrolls
children who are eligible for free or reduced price lunch and emergent
multilingual learners.

Section 2 sets the effective date.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

Many public-school districts in New York offer preschool program
services, however the utilization rates of these programs can vary based
on location. While some schools have unused slots for pre-k, many other
districts face more demand for prekindergarten slots than they can
offer, and these students are waitlisted. Under current law, school
districts may utilize a lottery system to place students in prekinder-
garten programs when demand for slots exceeds availability.  One draw-
back of this approach, however, is that students who may have few acces-
sible alternatives for prekindergarten instruction,' such as those who
are English language learners or socioeconomically disadvantaged, may be
left without any prekindergarten instruction at all under a lottery-
based admissions system. This legislation allows school districts who
find themselves with fewer prekindergarten slots than demanded to prior-
itize students who would have the most trouble securing prekindergarten
services outside of the public school district.

 
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

New Bill

 
FISCAL IMPLICATION:

None.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.

2023-S7842A (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                  7842--A
 
                        2023-2024 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                             December 29, 2023
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen. JACKSON -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be committed to the Committee on Rules  --  recommitted  to
   the Committee on Education in accordance with Senate Rule 6, sec. 8 --
   committee  discharged,  bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and
   recommitted to said committee

 AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to authorizing a weighted
   selection process for the allocation of certain prekindergarten seats
 
   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section  1.  Paragraph  i  of  subdivision  7 of section 3602-e of the
 education law, as amended by section 19 of part B of chapter 57  of  the
 laws of 2007, is amended to read as follows:
   i.  establishes a method for selection of eligible children to receive
 prekindergarten program services on a random selection basis where there
 are more eligible children than can be served in a  given  school  year,
 provided, however, THAT IN A SCHOOL DISTRICT WHERE THERE ARE MORE ELIGI-
 BLE  CHILDREN THAN CAN BE SERVED IN A GIVEN SCHOOL YEAR THAT SUCH SCHOOL
 DISTRICT ELECT TO FIRST ENROLL CHILDREN WHO WOULD BE ELIGIBLE  FOR  FREE
 OR  REDUCED  PRICE  LUNCH  AND/OR CHILDREN WHO ARE EMERGENT MULTILINGUAL
 LEARNERS. IF A DISTRICT ELECTS TO PRIORITIZE ENROLLMENT OF CHILDREN  WHO
 ARE  ELIGIBLE  FOR  FREE  OR REDUCED PRICE LUNCH AND/OR CHILDREN WHO ARE
 EMERGENT MULTILINGUAL LEARNERS AND THERE ARE MORE SUCH ELIGIBLE CHILDREN
 THAN CAN BE SERVED IN A GIVEN SCHOOL YEAR, SUCH  SCHOOL  DISTRICT  SHALL
 ESTABLISH  A  METHOD  FOR  SELECTION  AMONG  SUCH ELIGIBLE CHILDREN ON A
 RANDOM BASIS, AND PROVIDED FURTHER that a school district that  operated
 a  targeted  prekindergarten  program  in  the  base  year  may  use the
 selection process established for such program.
   § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
 

  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD11757-03-4

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