Senate Bill S1491

2025-2026 Legislative Session

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

download bill text pdf

Sponsored By

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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2025-S1491 (ACTIVE) - Details

Current Committee:
Senate Education
Law Section:
Education Law
Laws Affected:
Amd §3602-e, Ed L
Versions Introduced in 2023-2024 Legislative Session:
S7842

2025-S1491 (ACTIVE) - 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.

2025-S1491 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2025-S1491 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf 

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   1491
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                             January 10, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen.  FAHY  --  read twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be committed to the Committee on Education
 
 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.
                                                            LBD03514-01-5

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