Relates to establishing a commission for the educational advancement of multilingual learners in New York; provides such commission shall report on the best practices and legislative recommendations to close the achievement gap and high school graduation rates between multilingual learners and their English proficient peers from prekindergarten through twelfth grade.
Provides that no school district shall be eligible to receive the full apportionment of state aid to which it is entitled if evidence is found by the state comptroller when an audit is conducted and such audit finds that a district has inappropriate excess of their unexpended surplus funds and such school district did not reduce the school tax levy in a proportion equal to the excess of four percent of the current year school budget.
Relates to school session days; adds general election day to the list of days when school will not be in session; allows a school district to elect to require staff attendance on a general election day or to schedule a professional development day.
Establishes an office of special education services within the state education department to administer programs for children with disabilities to be headed by an assistant commissioner appointed by the board of regents.
Requires the state comptroller and the comptroller of the city of New York to coordinate the scheduling and performance of audits of charter schools in the city of New York.
Provides for inclusion of the school district's regional cost index in calculating the supplemental education improvement plan grant amount for Yonkers city school district.
Establishes the water safety instruction working group to study appropriate standards for curriculum on water safety instruction for students in grades kindergarten through twelve in the state.
Relates to repair reserve funds for municipal corporations, school districts, boards of cooperative educational services, district corporations and improvement districts.
Requires nonpublic and private elementary and secondary schools to require their prospective employees to submit fingerprints through the commissioner of education for the purpose of criminal background checks; authorizes conditional appointment of employees by such schools pending determination of the criminal background check.