STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 7673 2025-2026 Regular Sessions IN ASSEMBLY April 4, 2025 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. CUNNINGHAM -- read once and referred to the Committee on Education AN ACT to amend the education law and the tax law, in relation to enact- ing the public education racial equity and diversity act The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. This act shall be known and may be cited as the "public 2 education racial equity and diversity act". 3 § 2. Section 679-j of the education law, as added by section 1 of part 4 AA of chapter 56 of the laws of 2018, is amended to read as follows: 5 § 679-j. The New York state teacher loan forgiveness program. 1. 6 Purpose. The president shall grant student loan forgiveness awards for 7 the purpose of increasing the number of teachers serving in the state, 8 generally, and the number of teachers serving in the state who meet the 9 ethnic definition of minority group member, specifically. 10 2. Eligibility. To be eligible for an award pursuant to this subdivi- 11 sion, applicants shall (a) be certified as a teacher; (b) be employed 12 full time in this state in an elementary or secondary school; (c) comply 13 with subdivisions three and five of section six hundred sixty-one of 14 this part; (d) have an outstanding student loan debt; and (e) meet one 15 of the following criteria: 16 (i) teach in a shortage subject area; 17 (ii) teach in a hard to staff district; [or] 18 (iii) the applicant is economically disadvantaged, as defined by the 19 corporation[.]; or 20 (iv) the applicant meets the ethnic definition of minority group 21 member as defined in article fifteen-A of the executive law. 22 3. Definitions. For the purposes of this section[,]: 23 (a) the term "shortage subject area" shall mean a curriculum subject 24 matter or practice of teaching where there is a shortage of teachers in 25 New York state, as designated by the department[, and]; EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD11300-01-5
A. 7673 2 1 (b) the term "hard to staff school districts" shall mean school 2 districts that have a shortage of teachers, as designated by the depart- 3 ment[.]; and 4 (c) the term "minority group member" shall mean a United States citi- 5 zen or permanent resident alien who is and can demonstrate membership in 6 one of the following groups: 7 (i) Black persons having origins in any of the Black African racial 8 groups; 9 (ii) Hispanic/Latino persons of Mexican, Puerto Rican, Dominican, 10 Cuban, Central or South American of either Indian or Hispanic origin, 11 regardless of race; 12 (iii) Native American or Alaskan native persons having origins in any 13 of the original peoples of North America; 14 (iv) Asian and Pacific Islander persons having origins in any of the 15 Far East countries, South East Asia, the Indian subcontinent or the 16 Pacific Islands. 17 4. Priority. Such awards shall be made annually to applicants in the 18 following priority: 19 (a) First priority shall be given to applicants who have received 20 payment of an award pursuant to this section in a prior year and who, in 21 the year prior to application, are teachers [in] (i) in a subject short- 22 age area, [or] (ii) in a hard to staff school district, or (iii) who 23 meet the ethnic definition of minority group member; 24 (b) Second priority shall be given to applicants who have not received 25 payment of an award pursuant to this section in a prior year and who are 26 teachers [in] (i) in a subject shortage area, [or] (ii) in hard to staff 27 school district, or (iii) who meet the ethnic definition of minority 28 group member in the year prior to such application; and 29 (c) Third priority shall be given to applicants who are economically 30 disadvantaged as defined by the corporation. 31 5. Awards. The corporation shall grant awards pursuant to the amount 32 appropriated for such purpose and based on availability of funds in an 33 amount up to [five] ten thousand dollars to individuals who are employed 34 full-time as teachers for the school year prior to such application, 35 provided that no recipient shall receive an award that exceeds the total 36 remaining balance of the student loan debt pursuant to this section[, in 37 excess of twenty thousand dollars]. 38 6. Rules and regulations. The corporation is authorized to promulgate 39 rules and regulations and may promulgate emergency regulations necessary 40 for the implementation of the provisions of this section. In the event 41 that there are more applicants who have the same priority, as provided 42 in subdivision four of this section, than there are remaining awards, 43 the corporation shall provide in regulation the method of distributing 44 the remaining number of such awards, which may include a lottery or 45 other form of random selection. 46 § 3. The education law is amended by adding three new sections 3004-d, 47 3004-e and 3004-f to read as follows: 48 § 3004-d. Alternative teacher certification requirements. 1. Teacher 49 certification compliance. An education corporation may submit to their 50 charter authorizer and a district school may submit to its local educa- 51 tion agency as defined in section three thousand thirty-two of this 52 article, for approval of an instructional program as defined in subdivi- 53 sion two of this section for teachers who meet the ethnic definition of 54 minority group member set forth in article fifteen-A of the executive 55 law as well as the requirements set forth in this section. The require- 56 ments of an approved instructional program under this section shall be
A. 7673 3 1 considered equivalent to the certification requirements applicable to 2 other public schools of the state for the purposes of paragraph (a-1) of 3 subdivision three of section twenty-eight hundred fifty-four of this 4 chapter. For the purposes of this section the term "applicant" shall 5 refer to any education corporation or district school who submits for 6 approval of an instructional program pursuant to this section. 7 2. Instructional program. An applicant may at any time submit a 8 proposed instructional program to its charter authorizer or local educa- 9 tion agency for approval. If a charter authorizer has denied an applica- 10 tion or revoked or closed an instructional program, the applicant may 11 submit a revised proposed instructional program to its charter authoriz- 12 er. In order to be eligible to apply, an applicant shall be approved to 13 operate at least one school. An instructional program shall not be 14 eligible for approval unless it meets the minimum requirements set forth 15 in this section. 16 3. Academic success requirements. a. The applicant shall have a demon- 17 strated record of academic success as follows: 18 (i) For an education corporation, fifty percent of applicant's charter 19 schools with students participating in grades three through eight state 20 administered standardized English language arts and mathematic assess- 21 ments examinations shall have performed better on such examinations than 22 the district schools in the school districts in which the charter 23 schools are located; 24 (ii) For an education corporation that offers instruction in the high 25 school grades, such charter schools shall have met sixty percent of 26 their accountability plan pursuant to the performance agreement with 27 their charter authorizer; or 28 (iii) For an education corporation that offers instruction in grades 29 three through eight and the high school grades, the applicant's charter 30 authorizer shall weigh the grades accordingly; or 31 (iv) For district schools that primarily offers education to a special 32 population, including a student with disabilities or a student who is an 33 English language learner, such schools shall have performed better than 34 the students of the applicable special population in the school 35 districts in which the charter school is located and at least one of the 36 applicant's schools shall have received a renewal within the last five 37 years and if two or more education corporations are applying together, 38 at least one school from each education corporation shall meet the stan- 39 dard set forth in this subparagraph. For purposes of this subparagraph, 40 the school district in which a charter school is located shall mean, for 41 the city school district of the city of New York, the community district 42 in which a charter school is located. 43 b. An education corporation shall be authorized to contract with an 44 institution of higher education to provide an instructional program 45 pursuant to this section, provided however, that the institution of 46 higher education shall not have had a graduate-level teacher and leader 47 education program suspended or deregistered by the department at any 48 time. 49 c. The applicant shall maintain high standards for candidates includ- 50 ing completion of a master's degree in education or bachelor's degree or 51 higher in any subject area from an accredited institution with a cumula- 52 tive grade point average of 3.0 or higher, or its equivalent, or shall 53 have been found to have the necessary knowledge and skills to success- 54 fully complete the program as determined by its authorizer. 55 4. Certificate titles requirements. a. Certificate titles offered by 56 an instructional program may include, but are not limited to:
A. 7673 4 1 (i) Childhood education (pre-kindergarten through sixth grade); 2 (ii) Secondary education (fifth grade through twelfth grade) with 3 specialization in primary subject areas which may include, but are not 4 limited to: 5 (A) Humanities; 6 (B) Mathematics; and 7 (C) Science; 8 (iii) Childhood students with disabilities (pre-kindergarten through 9 sixth grade); 10 (iv) Secondary students with disabilities (fifth grade through twelfth 11 grade); 12 (v) Childhood English for speakers of other languages (pre-kindergar- 13 ten through sixth grade); and 14 (vi) Secondary English for speakers of other languages (fifth grade 15 through twelfth grade). 16 b. The instructional program shall include: 17 (i) One hundred sixty clock hours of classroom instruction content, 18 including content core study and pedagogical core study, which shall 19 provide the necessary knowledge base, understanding, and skills for 20 teaching students in the respective grade levels, and in the respective 21 subject areas, for the certification being sought. The one hundred sixty 22 clock hours are in addition to any credit hours earned by candidates as 23 part of the required bachelor's degree referenced in paragraph c of 24 subdivision three of this section. For the purposes of this subparagraph 25 "classroom instruction content" shall include curriculum and content 26 specific to the certification being sought, instructional strategies and 27 planning, classroom and behavioral management, and shall be designed to 28 prepare candidates to instruct students with a range of abilities and 29 differentiate instruction to enhance the learning of all students in the 30 content areas of the certificate. A candidate may seek dual certif- 31 ication in two different titles, for which the one hundred sixty total 32 clock hours shall be appropriate for the dual titles being sought. If 33 one of the titles sought is students with disabilities, at least twenty 34 of the one hundred sixty clock hours shall include the additional 35 students with disabilities training required pursuant to paragraph e of 36 this section. 37 (ii) Forty clock hours of field experience appropriate to the certif- 38 ication being sought, with at least six of the forty hours focused on 39 meeting the needs of students with disabilities, with the candidate 40 primarily responsible for classroom instruction, and under supervision 41 of an experienced teacher with the following qualifications: 42 (A) certified in the subject, area or grade range of instruction, as 43 applicable; or 44 (B) uncertified teachers who: 45 (1) have at least three years of satisfactory elementary, middle or 46 secondary classroom experience; or 47 (2) are tenured, tenure track or adjunct college faculty; or 48 (3) have two years of satisfactory experience through the Teach for 49 America program or similar programs as determined by the applicant's 50 authorizer. 51 c. A candidate may seek a dual certification in two different titles, 52 for which the candidate shall complete forty total field hours, with 53 approximately one-half of such field hours focused on each certification 54 title sought. 55 d. Candidates teaching within the initial three-year period of certif- 56 ication shall receive periodic mentoring by a principal, assistant prin-
A. 7673 5 1 cipal, a teacher qualified to oversee field experience pursuant to 2 subparagraph (ii) of paragraph b of this subdivision, or a qualified 3 instructional program instructor pursuant to paragraph e of this subdi- 4 vision which shall be designed to meet the individual learning needs of 5 the candidate. 6 e. The following additional coursework shall also be included in the 7 instructional program if such coursework is necessary for the titles 8 sought: 9 (i) Completion of a workshop approved by the department on the proper 10 process to report child abuse and neglect in accordance with subdivision 11 two of section three thousand four of this article; 12 (ii) Completion of a workshop approved by the department on school 13 violence intervention and prevention in accordance with subdivision 14 three of section three thousand four of this article; 15 (iii) Six clock hours of coursework or training on harassment, bully- 16 ing and discrimination prevention and intervention, as such terms are 17 defined in section eleven of this chapter in accordance with the 18 purposes of subdivision five of section fourteen of this chapter; and/or 19 (iv) For candidates seeking certification in students with disabili- 20 ties or English for speakers of other languages, classroom instruction 21 shall focus on developing knowledge, understanding, and skills for 22 teaching students with disabilities or students who are English 23 language learners, respectively, including enhanced coursework or train- 24 ing. Field experience shall be completed under the supervision of a 25 teacher certified in students with disabilities or English for speakers 26 of other languages, respectively, and the candidate seeking certif- 27 ication shall spend: 28 (A) For students with disabilities, a majority of a candidate's expe- 29 rience hours shall be in an integrated co-teaching classroom or a class- 30 room otherwise providing special services or programs as such term is 31 defined in section forty-four hundred one of this chapter; 32 (B) For English for speakers of other languages, a majority of candi- 33 date's required forty clock hours of field experience in a bilingual 34 education, English as a new language or integrated English as a new 35 language classroom as such terms are defined in part one hundred fifty- 36 four of title eight of the New York codes, rules and regulations or an 37 equivalent classroom providing services to students who are English 38 language learners; 39 (C) For students with disabilities, in addition to the forty hours of 40 required field experience, an additional forty hours observing and work- 41 ing with students with an individualized education program; 42 (D) For English for speakers of other languages, in addition to the 43 forty clock hours of required field experience, an additional forty 44 clock hours observing and working with students who are English language 45 learners as such term is defined in section 154-2.2 of title eight of 46 the New York codes, rules and regulations; and 47 (E) For students with disabilities, at least ten clock hours of 48 coursework or training in the law, regulations and appropriate tech- 49 niques to address discipline of students with disabilities in accordance 50 with the individuals with disabilities education act and any regulations 51 promulgated thereunder. 52 f. An instructional program instructor shall: 53 (i) be a classroom teacher who has earned at least a bachelor's degree 54 from an accredited institution and has two years teaching experience; 55 (ii) be an administrator of the applicant who either:
A. 7673 6 1 (A) previously worked as a classroom teacher who would have qualified 2 as instructors under subparagraph (i) of this paragraph; or 3 (B) is a school administrator; or 4 (iii) has the expertise, advanced study, or licensure appropriate to 5 the field to teach effectively the course to which they are assigned in 6 the appropriate depth and breadth as determined by the department. 7 Individuals qualified under this subparagraph shall be eligible only to 8 teach a portion of the instructional program limited to the course in 9 which they hold such expertise, advanced study, or licensure. Eligibil- 10 ity of an individual to teach such course shall be subject to prior 11 approval by the applicant's authorizer. 12 g. Candidates enrolled in an instructional program shall be regularly 13 assessed on all aspects of the proposed course of study. Assessment 14 methods may include, but need not be limited to, testing, portfolio 15 reviews, or demonstration of pedagogical knowledge and skills, and shall 16 include a final assessment utilizing one or more such method to deter- 17 mine whether the candidate has satisfactorily demonstrated the competen- 18 cies included in the instructional program. Such final assessment may be 19 either the state teacher certification examination, the educating all 20 students test, or an examination which measures, at a minimum, all 21 required elements of the educating all students test, and is approved by 22 the department. For a candidate seeking certification in students with 23 disabilities, such candidate shall be additionally assessed with the New 24 York state content specialty test in students with disabilities or an 25 examination which measures, at a minimum, all required elements of the 26 content specialty test, and is approved by the applicant's authorizer. 27 5. Approval of instructional program. a. Applicants may submit 28 proposed instructional programs to their authorizers. Such proposals 29 shall include information explaining the need for the instructional 30 program and shall specify how the proposed instructional program will 31 meet the requirements of this section including by providing: 32 (i) Proof that the applicant has a demonstrated record of success; 33 (ii) A list of the certificates that will be offered by the appli- 34 cant's instructional program; 35 (iii) The required candidate qualifications; 36 (iv) The qualifications of instructional program instructors; 37 (v) The requirements for certification as a "certified intern teach- 38 er"; 39 (vi) The competencies required for each certificate offered; 40 (vii) An overview of the classroom instruction to be offered as part 41 of the instructional program including how program instructors will 42 train candidates on how to teach students critical thinking skills; and 43 (viii) The assessment methods to be used including the final assess- 44 ment. 45 b. A proposed instructional program shall be approved or denied within 46 ninety days of submission to the applicant's authorizer. If the appli- 47 cant's authorizer does not approve an instructional program within the 48 timeframe set forth in this paragraph, the application shall be automat- 49 ically approved. The authorizer may, but is not required to, permit the 50 applicant to amend the application during or after the review period. 51 The authorizer shall state the general reasons for a denial of an appli- 52 cation in writing. There shall be no review of a denial by the committee 53 or the board of trustees. 54 c. Once the authorizer approves an applicant's instructional program, 55 the applicant shall commence instruction of candidates in accordance 56 with the application and the requirements of this section.
A. 7673 7 1 d. The requirements of an approved instructional program shall be 2 considered equivalent to the certification requirements applicable to 3 other public schools of the state for purposes of paragraph (a-1) of 4 subdivision three of section twenty-eight hundred fifty-four of this 5 chapter. 6 6. Teacher certifications. a. A teacher enrolled in an approved 7 instructional program shall be granted certification in the following 8 manner and subject to the following conditions: 9 (i) If a candidate teacher is making adequate progress toward meeting 10 the requirements of an approved instructional program, the candidate 11 shall be eligible to receive a certificate as a "certified intern teach- 12 er" so long as the candidate stays enrolled in the instructional program 13 and the applicant has specified in its application what constitutes 14 "adequate progress" as defined by the department for purposes of this 15 subparagraph. A certified intern teacher's certificate shall be valid 16 for no longer than six months from the date it is granted, provided that 17 such certificate may be renewed if the candidate teacher is still 18 enrolled in the instructional program. To receive such certificate, an 19 approved applicant shall submit the names of candidate teachers who 20 qualify to the authorizer, whereupon such candidate teachers shall be 21 issued such certificate. The applicant shall certify as to the truthful- 22 ness of such submission and shall retain all responsibility and liabil- 23 ity resulting from such approval; or 24 (ii) If a candidate teacher has met the requirements of an approved 25 instructional program in one or more of the titles designated in subdi- 26 vision four of this section shall be eligible to receive a teacher's 27 certificate for such title or titles. To receive such certificate, the 28 candidate teacher shall submit documentation thereof to an approved 29 applicant, which shall approve or deny the teacher candidate for certif- 30 ication within sixty days of submission. Such determination will be 31 based on: 32 (A) A review of submitted documentation demonstrating that the candi- 33 date teacher has completed an approved instructional program for the 34 title or titles sought; 35 (B) A review of the results of a criminal history record search of the 36 candidate teacher performed by the department at the direction of an 37 education corporation as required under paragraph (a-2) of subdivision 38 three of section twenty-eight hundred fifty-four of this chapter. For 39 purposes of this section, the term "criminal history record" shall mean 40 a record of all convictions of crimes and any pending criminal charges 41 maintained on an individual by the division of criminal justice services 42 and the federal bureau of investigation; and 43 (C) A recommendation from the approved instructional program certify- 44 ing that the candidate teacher has satisfactorily demonstrated the 45 competencies required by the instructional program. For candidate teach- 46 ers seeking certification as a students with disabilities teacher or an 47 English for speakers of other languages teacher, such recommendation 48 will specifically certify that the candidate teacher has satisfactorily 49 demonstrated the competencies required by the instructional program to 50 teach students with disabilities or students who are English language 51 learners, respectively. 52 b. The approved applicant shall submit the names and supporting 53 documentation of all candidate teachers approved to the applicant's 54 charter authorizer, whereupon such candidate teachers will be issued 55 such certificate. The applicant shall certify as to the validity of such
A. 7673 8 1 approval for certification under this subdivision and shall retain all 2 responsibility and liability resulting from such approval. 3 c. Notwithstanding subdivision one of this section, a teacher holding 4 a valid teaching certificate in good standing issued by another state 5 that substantially complies with all other requirements of this section 6 shall be eligible to receive a teacher's certificate pursuant to this 7 section without participation in an approved instructional program. 8 d. The certification created by this section shall be transferrable to 9 another education corporation or district school even if the transferee 10 school does not have an approved instructional program. 11 e. A teacher's certificate issued pursuant to this section shall 12 expire three years from the date it is granted. In the case of a teacher 13 who obtains an intern teacher's certificate prior to obtaining a teach- 14 er's certificate, the period of time teaching under the intern teacher's 15 certificate prior to obtaining a full teacher's certificate shall be 16 included for purposes of calculating the three-year period. Such certif- 17 ication may be renewed and remain valid provided that: 18 (i) The teacher is employed by a charter school issued pursuant to 19 article fifty-six of this chapter or a district school; and 20 (ii) The employing education corporation submits to its authorizer, or 21 in the case of a district school its local education agency, a recommen- 22 dation for certification renewal based on its review of the teacher's 23 performance over the course of his or her employment at the education 24 corporation or district school. 25 f. An applicant shall obtain a signed affirmation from each candidate 26 acknowledging that the candidate has been informed by the applicant and 27 is aware that the certification the candidate will receive pursuant to 28 this section is not transferrable to any education corporation or char- 29 ter school not authorized by an authorized New York charter entity or in 30 the case of a district school approved for transfer by its local educa- 31 tion agency. Such executed affirmation shall be obtained upon enrollment 32 in an approved instructional program and shall be retained by the appli- 33 cant for a period of not less than ten years from the date of the latest 34 certificate issuance. 35 7. Accounting. Each applicant with an approved instructional program 36 shall reflect the budgeted costs for the instructional program separate- 37 ly in its annual budget, and specifically account for the costs thereof 38 in its financial statements. Applicants shall not charge employees or 39 others for access to their instructional programs. 40 8. Accountability and revocation. a. Each applicant shall be account- 41 able for the quality of its instructional programs leading to exemption 42 from certification. Charter entities and local education agencies 43 reserve the right to independently assess and monitor all approved 44 instructional programs and may revoke approval at any time. Failure to 45 comply with any provision of this section may result in revocation of 46 the approval. 47 b. Notice of intent to revoke approval shall be provided to the appli- 48 cant at least thirty days prior to the effective date of the proposed 49 revocation. Such notice shall include a statement of reasons for the 50 proposed revocation. A school closure for academic reasons shall be 51 deemed notice of intent to review and possibly revoke the approval of an 52 instructional program. 53 c. If applicable, the applicant shall be allowed at least thirty days 54 to correct the problems associated with the proposed revocation. Non- 55 curable causes of revocation include, but are not limited to, fraud, 56 creation of false business records and obstruction of investigation or
A. 7673 9 1 monitoring by the applicant's authorizer. Prior to revocation of the 2 approval, an applicant shall be provided an opportunity to be heard by 3 the applicant's authorizer, consistent with the requirements of due 4 process. There shall be no appeal of such determination to the committee 5 or the board of trustees. 6 § 3004-e. Record keeping requirements. 1. Records and information 7 regarding an applicant's instructional program pursuant to section three 8 thousand four-d of this article shall be maintained by the applicant. 9 Upon request by the applicant's authorizer, such records and information 10 shall be available for inspection, or for delivery of copies to the 11 applicant's authorizer. The applicant shall also grant its authorizer 12 access to any electronic databases where records or information are 13 stored regardless of whether the applicant is the custodian of such 14 information. 15 2. Such records shall include, but not be limited to: 16 a. Candidate records including, but not limited to: 17 (i) clock hour attendance; 18 (ii) clock hour instructors; 19 (iii) student teaching dates and classes; 20 (iv) student teaching clock hour accumulation; 21 (v) student teaching instructors; 22 (vi) workshop attendance records; 23 (vii) records reflecting the number of years of teaching experience; 24 (viii) college transcripts; 25 (ix) records reflecting whether a candidate is making adequate 26 progress in the instructional program pursuant to section three thousand 27 four-d of this article; and 28 (x) the date of completion of the instructional program and the title 29 of certification earned; 30 b. Instructor qualification records including, but not limited to: 31 (i) college transcripts; 32 (ii) records reflecting the number of years of teaching experience; 33 (iii) teacher certification records; and 34 (iv) certification records; and 35 c. Records regarding institutions of higher education and outside 36 vendors used as part of the instructional program pursuant to section 37 three thousand four-d of this article including, but not limited to, 38 contracts and financial records. 39 3. Each applicant shall provide teachers and former teachers with 40 copies of any certification records pursuant to this section, and at no 41 more than the cost set forth in the state freedom of information law. 42 4. An applicant shall store certification records for a minimum of ten 43 years. 44 § 3004-f. Additional provisions regarding instructional programs. 1. 45 Limitations and conditions. Sections three thousand four-d and three 46 thousand four-e of this article shall not affect any certification 47 approved by the department nor shall it waive any conditions imposed on 48 holders of such teacher certifications. All teachers in education corpo- 49 rations shall continue to comply with the conditions in an education 50 corporation's charter agreement and any conditions imposed by sections 51 three thousand four-d and three thousand four-e of this article, includ- 52 ing but not limited to the criminal background check requirements. 53 2. Teachers of record. Whether or not an education corporation oper- 54 ates an instructional program, when the applicant's authorizer reviews 55 teacher certification, the authorizer will continue to use the concept 56 of a teacher of record for a classroom of students. By whatever name, if
A. 7673 10 1 one instructional leader of a classroom is properly certified or exempt 2 from certification under section three thousand four-d of this article, 3 the other teachers or adults in the classroom, however designated, are 4 not also required to be certified or exempt from certification for the 5 same group of students. 6 3. Non-material revision. The approval, revocation or voluntary cessa- 7 tion of an instructional program shall not be a material revision to the 8 charter of the applicant requiring formal revision under subdivision 9 seven of section twenty-eight hundred fifty-two of this chapter. 10 § 4. Subsection (i) of section 601 of the tax law is relettered 11 subsection (j) and a new subsection (i) is added to read as follows: 12 (i) To increase the number of minority teachers serving the state's 13 significantly high-need schools, qualifying individuals shall be eligi- 14 ble for income tax exemption in accordance with the following: 15 (1) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsections (a), (b), (c) and 16 (d) of this section and any other provision of this article, for taxable 17 years beginning after January first, two thousand twenty-six, one 18 hundred percent of the gross income shall be exempt from tax under this 19 article as well as all other local taxes regardless of whether such 20 income is subject to federal income taxation to each resident of the 21 state who has qualifying service in the taxable year for which the 22 exemption is claimed. 23 (2) For the purposes of this subsection, "qualifying service" shall 24 mean a service provided by a person who: 25 (A) is certified as a teacher; 26 (B) is employed full time in this state in an elementary or secondary 27 school that has been designated as a "significantly high-need school", 28 as defined in section thirty-six hundred fourteen of the education law; 29 (C) complied with subdivision five of section six hundred sixty-one of 30 the education law; and 31 (D) meets the ethnic definition of minority group member as defined 32 in article fifteen-A of the executive law. 33 § 5. Severability. If any provision of this act, or any application 34 of any provision of this act, is held to be invalid, that shall not 35 affect the validity or effectiveness of any other provision of this act, 36 or of any other application of any provision of this act, which can be 37 given effect without that provision or application; and to that end, the 38 provisions and applications of this act are severable. 39 § 6. This act shall take effect on the sixtieth day after it shall 40 have become a law. Effective immediately, the addition, amendment and/or 41 repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for the implementation of 42 this act on its effective date are authorized to be made and completed 43 on or before such effective date.