211-D - Contract for excellence.
§ 211-d. Contract for excellence. 1. a. Every school district that, as of April first of the base year, has at least one school identified as in corrective action or restructuring status or as a school requiring academic progress: year two or above or as a school in need of improvement: year two shall be required to prepare a contract for excellence if the school district is estimated to receive an increase in total foundation aid for the current year compared to the base year in an amount that equals or exceeds either fifteen million dollars or ten percent of the amount received in the base year, whichever is less, or receives a supplemental educational improvement plan grant. In school year two thousand seven--two thousand eight such increase shall be the amount of the difference between total foundation aid received for the current year and the total foundation aid base, as defined in paragraph j of subdivision one of section thirty-six hundred two of this chapter. b. In addition to the school districts required to prepare a contract for excellence under paragraph a of this subdivision, every school district that filed a contract for excellence in the base year shall file a contract for excellence in the current year if such district is estimated to receive a two-year increase, equal to the positive difference of the total foundation aid apportioned for the current year less the total foundation aid base, as defined in paragraph j of subdivision one of section thirty-six hundred two of this chapter, for the base year, in an amount that equals or exceeds either twenty-seven million five hundred thousand dollars or twenty percent of such total foundation aid base for the base year; provided however, that this requirement shall apply only to a school district that, as of April first of the base year, has at least one school that has been identified as in corrective action or restructuring status or as a school requiring academic progress: year two or above or as a school in need of improvement: year two. c. In a city school district located in a city of one million or more inhabitants, a contract for excellence shall be prepared for the city school district and each community district that meets criteria specified in this subdivision. d. All computations pursuant to paragraphs a and b of this subdivision and subdivision two of this section shall be based upon data included in the computerized school aid run produced by the commissioner in support of the enacted state budget which established the foundation aid formulas for the current year. For purposes of this section, accountability status of schools shall be determined as of April first of the base year, except that if the commissioner determines that the accountability data on file for a school as of April first of the base year was in error and officially adjusts the accountability status of the school after such date, such adjusted data shall be used for the purposes of paragraphs a and b of this subdivision and subdivision two of this section. e. Notwithstanding paragraphs a and b of this subdivision, a school district that submitted a contract for excellence for the two thousand eight--two thousand nine school year shall submit a contract for excellence for the two thousand nine--two thousand ten school year in conformity with the requirements of subparagraph (vi) of paragraph a of subdivision two of this section unless all schools in the district are identified as in good standing. 2. a. (i) In a common, union free, central, central high school, or a city school district in a city having less than one hundred twenty-five thousand inhabitants, required to prepare a contract for excellence pursuant to subdivision one of this section and, as of April first of the base year, does not contain any schools identified as in correctiveaction or restructuring status or requiring academic progress: year three or above, each contract for excellence shall describe how the sum of the amounts apportioned to the school district in the current year as total foundation aid, in excess of one hundred four percent of the district's foundation aid base, as adjusted for additional amounts payable as charter school basic tuition over such amount payable in the base year, shall be used to support new programs and new activities or redesign or expand the use of programs and activities demonstrated to improve student achievement; provided however, up to fifty percent of additional funding received in the current year may be used to maintain investments in programs and activities listed in paragraph a of subdivision three of this section. (ii) In a common, union free, central, central high school, or a city school district in a city having less than one hundred twenty-five thousand inhabitants, required to prepare a contract for excellence pursuant to subdivision one of this section and, as of April first of the base year, has at least one school identified as in corrective action or restructuring status or requiring academic progress: year three or above, each contract for excellence shall describe how the sum of the amounts apportioned to the school district in the current year as total foundation aid, in excess of one hundred four percent of the district's foundation aid base, as adjusted for additional amounts payable as charter school basic tuition over such amount payable in the base year, shall be used to support new programs and new activities or redesign or expand the use of programs and activities demonstrated to improve student achievement; provided however, up to thirty-five percent of additional funding received in the current year may be used to maintain investments in the programs and activities listed in paragraph a of subdivision three of this section. (iii) In a city school district in a city having a population of one hundred twenty-five thousand or more inhabitants but less than one million inhabitants that either receives a supplemental educational improvement plan grant or is required to submit a contract for excellence based solely upon the criteria specified in paragraph b of subdivision one of this section, each contract for excellence shall describe how the sum of the amounts apportioned to the school district in the current year as total foundation aid, and as supplemental educational improvement plan grants, in excess of one hundred four percent of such aid apportioned to the district in the base year, as adjusted for additional amounts payable as charter school basic tuition over such amount payable in the base year, shall be used to support new programs and new activities or redesign or expand the use of programs and activities demonstrated to improve student achievement; provided however, up to fifty percent of additional funding received in the current year may be used to maintain investments in the programs and activities listed in paragraph a of subdivision three of this section. (iv) In a city school district in a city having a population of one hundred twenty-five thousand or more inhabitants but less than one million inhabitants that satisfies the criteria specified in paragraph a of subdivision one of this section and does not receive a supplemental educational improvement plan grant, each contract for excellence shall describe how the sum of the amounts apportioned to the school district in the current year as total foundation aid, in excess of one hundred three percent of the district's foundation aid base, as adjusted for additional amounts payable as charter school basic tuition over such amount payable in the base year, shall be used to support new programs and new activities or expand the use of programs and activities demonstrated to improve student achievement; provided however, up totwenty-five percent of additional funding received in the current year may be used to maintain investments in the programs and activities listed in paragraph a of subdivision three of this section. (v) In a city school district in a city having a population of one million or more inhabitants, each contract for excellence shall describe how the amounts apportioned to the school district in the current year as total foundation aid and academic achievement grants, in excess of one hundred three percent of the district's foundation aid base, as adjusted for additional amounts payable as charter school basic tuition over such amount payable in the base year, shall be used to support new programs and new activities or expand the use of programs and activities demonstrated to improve student achievement; provided however, up to thirty million dollars or twenty-five percent of additional funding received in the current year, whichever is less, may be used to maintain investments in the programs and activities listed in paragraph a of subdivision three of this section. (vi) Each contract for excellence for a school district that was required to prepare a contract for excellence in the base year shall provide for the expenditure of an amount equivalent to the total budgeted amount approved by the commissioner in the district's approved contract for excellence for the base year; provided that such amount shall be expended to support and maintain allowable programs and activities approved in the base year or to support new or expanded allowable programs and activities in the current year. (vii) Notwithstanding any other provision of this section to the contrary, a school district that submitted a contract for excellence for the two thousand seven--two thousand eight school year and the two thousand eight--two thousand nine school year and is required to submit a contract for excellence for the two thousand nine--two thousand ten school year but did not fully expend all of its two thousand seven--two thousand eight foundation aid subject to the contract for excellence restrictions during the two thousand seven--two thousand eight school year may re-allocate and expend such unexpended funds during the two thousand eight--two thousand nine and two thousand nine--two thousand ten school years for allowable contract for excellence programs and activities as defined in subdivision three of this section in a manner prescribed by the commissioner. For purposes of determining maintenance of effort pursuant to subparagraph (vi) of this paragraph for the two thousand eight--two thousand nine school year, funds expended pursuant to this subparagraph shall be included in the total budgeted amount approved by the commissioner in the district's contract for excellence for the two thousand seven--two thousand eight school year; provided that such amount shall not be counted more than once in determining maintenance of effort for the two thousand nine--two thousand ten school year or thereafter. b. (i) The contract shall specify the new or expanded programs for which additional amounts of such total foundation aid, or grant shall be used and shall affirm that such programs shall predominately benefit students with the greatest educational needs including, but not limited to, those students with limited English proficiency, students in poverty and students with disabilities. (ii) In a city school district in a city having a population of one million or more inhabitants such contract shall also include a plan to reduce average class sizes, as defined by the commissioner, within five years for the following grade ranges: (A) pre-kindergarten-third grade; (B) fourth-eighth grade; and (C) high school. Such plan shall include class size reduction for low performing and overcrowded schools and also include the methods to be used to achieve such class sizes, such as thecreation or construction of more classrooms and school buildings, the placement of more than one teacher in a classroom or methods to otherwise reduce the student to teacher ratio; provided, however, that notwithstanding any law, rule or regulation to the contrary, the sole and exclusive remedy for a violation of the requirements of this paragraph shall be pursuant to a petition to the commissioner under subdivision seven of section three hundred ten of this title, and the decision of the commissioner on such petition shall be final and unreviewable. (iii) A city school district in a city having a population of one million or more inhabitants shall prepare a report to the commissioner on the status of the implementation of its plan to reduce average class sizes pursuant to subparagraph (ii) of this paragraph. Such report shall identify all schools that received funds targeted at class size reduction efforts pursuant to the requirements of this section and provide the following information regarding such schools: (A) the amount of contract for excellence funds received by each school and the school year in which it received such funds; (B) a detailed description of how contract for excellence funds contributed to achieving class size reduction in each school that received such funding including specific information on the number of classrooms in each school that existed prior to receiving contract for excellence funds and the number of new classrooms that were created in each school for each year such funding was received, the number of classroom teachers that existed in each school prior to receiving contract for excellence funds and the number of new classroom teachers in each school for each year such funding was received, the student to teacher ratio in each school prior to receiving contract for excellence funds and the student to teacher ratio in each school for each year such funding was received; (C) the actual student enrollment for the two thousand six--two thousand seven school year, the actual student enrollment for the two thousand seven--two thousand eight school year, the actual student enrollment for the two thousand eight--two thousand nine school year, and the projected student enrollment for the two thousand nine--two thousand ten school year for each school by grade level; (D) the actual average class sizes for the two thousand six--two thousand seven school year, the actual average class sizes for the two thousand seven--two thousand eight school year, the actual average class sizes for the two thousand eight--two thousand nine school year, and the projected average class sizes for the two thousand nine--two thousand ten school year for each school by grade level; and (E) the schools that have made insufficient progress toward achieving the class size reduction goals outlined in the approved five year class size reduction plan pursuant to subparagraph (ii) of this paragraph and a detailed description of the actions that will be taken to reduce class sizes in such schools. Such report shall be submitted to the commissioner on or before November seventeenth, two thousand nine and shall be made available to the public by such date. c. The contract for excellence shall state, for all funding sources, whether federal, state or local, the instructional expenditures per pupil, the special education expenditures per pupil, and the total expenditures per pupil, projected for the current year and actually incurred in the base year. 3. a. The commissioner shall adopt regulations establishing allowable programs and activities intended to improve student achievement which shall be limited to: (i) class size reduction, (ii) programs thatincrease student time on task, including but not limited to, academic after-school programs, (iii) teacher and principal quality initiatives, (iv) middle school and high school re-structuring, (v) expansion or replication of effective model programs for students with limited English proficiency, and (vi) full-day kindergarten or prekindergarten. Provided, however, that districts may use up to fifteen percent of the additional funding they receive for experimental programs designed to demonstrate the efficacy of other strategies to improve student achievement consistent with the intent of this section and, in school year two thousand seven--two thousand eight, up to thirty million dollars or twenty-five percent of such additional funding, whichever is less, may be used to maintain investments in programs and activities listed in this subdivision. Any such district seeking to implement an experimental program shall first submit a plan to the commissioner setting forth the need for such experimental program and how such program will improve student performance. b. The commissioner shall assist school districts that include in their contract for excellence the implementation of incentives, developed in collaboration with teachers in the collective bargaining process, for highly qualified and experienced teachers to work in low performing schools to ensure that such incentives are effective. 4. a. A district's contract for excellence for the academic year two thousand eight--two thousand nine and thereafter, shall be developed through a public process, in consultation with parents or persons in parental relation, teachers, administrators, and any distinguished educator appointed pursuant to section two hundred eleven-c of this chapter. b. Such process shall include at least one public hearing. In a city school district in a city of one million or more inhabitants, a public hearing shall be held within each county of such city. A transcript of the testimony presented at such public hearings shall be included when the contract for excellence is submitted to the commissioner, for review when making a determination pursuant to subdivision five of this section. c. In a city school district in a city of one million or more inhabitants, each community district contract for excellence shall be consistent with the citywide contract for excellence and shall be submitted by the community superintendent to the community district education council for review and comment at a public meeting. d. For the two thousand seven--two thousand eight school year, school districts shall solicit public comment on their contracts for excellence. 5. Each contract for excellence shall be subject to approval by the commissioner and his or her certification that the expenditure of additional aid or grant amounts is in accordance with subdivision two of this section. 6. The school district audit report certified to the commissioner by an independent certified public accountant, an independent accountant or the comptroller of the city of New York pursuant to section twenty-one hundred sixteen-a of this chapter shall include a certification by such accountant or comptroller in a form prescribed by the commissioner and that the increases in total foundation aid and supplemental educational improvement plan grants have been used to supplement, and not supplant funds allocated by the district in the base year for such purposes. 7. The trustees or board of education of each school district subject to this section, or the chancellor in the case of a city school district in a city of one million or more inhabitants, shall assure that procedures are in place by which parents or persons in parental relationmay bring complaints concerning implementation of the district's contract for excellence. a. In a city school district in a city of one million or more inhabitants, such procedures shall provide that complaints may be filed with the building principal with an appeal to the community superintendent, or filed directly with the community superintendent, and that any appeal of the determination of a community superintendent shall be made to the chancellor. b. In all other districts, such procedures shall either provide for the filing of complaints with the building principals with an appeal to the superintendent of schools or for filing of the complaint directly with the superintendent of schools, and shall provide for an appeal to the trustees or board of education from the determination of the superintendent of schools. c. The determination of the trustees or a board of education or the chancellor may be appealed to the commissioner pursuant to section three hundred ten of this title. 8. School districts subject to the provisions of this section shall publicly report the expenditure of total foundation aid in the form and manner prescribed by the commissioner which shall ensure full disclosure of the use of such funds. 9. The department shall develop a methodology for reporting school-based expenditures by all school districts subject to the provisions of this section.