The Regents Priority Legislative Program is designed to focus effort on major initiatives and address issues that are important to the agency. The proposals are limited in number so that the resources and energy of the Board of Regents, the Commissioner and the Department staff can be directed toward these major initiatives. The legislative priorities are linked to the Strategic Plan and the Regents Budget proposal.

The Regents Priority Legislative Program is developed using a process that spans several months and is guided by the Commissioner, the Deputy Commissioners, and the Legislative Coordinating Team. The process that leads to final adoption of the Regents Legislative Priority Program is as follows:

• The Regents, Commissioner, and Department staff research and discuss issues through interaction and consultation with the public, advocacy groups, parent associations, and many others. Recent Regents actions are considered, such as the report of the Task Force on Teaching; the Task Force on Leadership; the Commission on Libraries; the Task Force on Postsecondary Education and Individuals with Disabilities; and the Subcommittee on State Aid. Unfinished work from the previous year is reviewed and problems or opportunities presented in current or proposed federal actions are examined.

• Each program area develops proposals. The Legislative Coordinating Team, which represents all major units in the State Education Department, evaluates the recommendations to identify priorities.

• The Commissioner meets with the Deputy Commissioners to discuss and evaluate the proposals.

• The Commissioner recommends the priority list to the Regents in October.

• Final approval by the Board of Regents takes place in November.

New Yorkers depend on libraries more than ever. Seventy-three percent of households used their library in the past year, well above the national average. Yet space to accommodate new programs and technology is at a premium. Many library buildings need to be replaced, and provide access to those with disabilities. In addition, the statewide network of libraries, public library systems, reference and research library resources systems, school library systems, and the New York State Library will be strengthened.

• Library Aid to Localities

• Capital Funds

In March of 2000 the Chancellor of the Board of Regents, the Chancellor of the City University of New York, the President of the Association of Proprietary Colleges, the Chancellor of the State University of New York, the President of the Commission on Independent Colleges and Universities, and the Commissioner of Education signed a joint commitment to enhance access and success for individuals with disabilities in postsecondary education and endorsed the goals of the Task Force on Postsecondary Education and Individuals with Disabilities.

The Task Force’s Goal Eight proposes that a new funding program be developed that will encourage colleges and universities across the State to recognize the needs of individuals with disabilities on their campuses. Specifically, the Task Force recommends that three different types of programs be created:

• "Enhancement Grants" for capacity building.

• "Challenge Grants" to support programmatic activities.

• "Incentive Grants" to increase the number of students with disabilities.

The programs would be available to every SUNY, CUNY, independent sector and degree-granting proprietary institution in the State. It is recommended that the fund be administered by SED.

The Regents are committed to helping students achieve higher standards. To do this we must continue to build educational capacity. The following proposals are aimed at this goal.

The State Aid proposal for the 2002-2003 school year will focus on recommendations aimed at achieving the following Regents goals and principles:

• Closing the Achievement Gap

These initiatives are designed to ensure both the quality and supply of the teaching workforce and the administrative leadership in our schools. The teaching proposals are focused on our hard-to-staff subject matter areas and hard-to-staff schools. The leadership initiatives are designed to attract and retain school administrators.

It is expected that the teacher shortage will worsen over the next several years. For both urban and rural hard-to-staff schools, the challenge will be to find ways to attract candidates with teaching certificates. Retiring and retired New York State public employees have been discouraged from pursuing such a second career because of statutory limitations on the salary they can earn while receiving a retirement allowance. Since many retired public service employees are qualified to re-enter the teaching profession, the barriers that hinder their return can be diminished. This proposal will:

• Allow retired public service employees to re-enter teaching in hard-to-staff school districts and subject matter areas.

• Cap the salary a retired employee can earn.

• Limit the length of time a retired public employee can participate.

• Sunset the law in five years so its impact can be determined.

This has resulted in high turnover and difficulty in attracting qualified candidates to serve in this critical educational leadership position. In fact, in the last 18 months, there has been a 33% turnover in district superintendent positions throughout the State. Twenty-three district superintendents are now at the statutory salary cap.

This proposal would retain the salary cap and would maintain the State salary of a district superintendent of schools at the current level of $43,499, but it would allow each BOCES board to increase the supplemental salary it pays to its district superintendent up to a new cap based on the Commissioner’s current salary.

The current state of school leadership, particularly related to school superintendents, reveals that it is necessary to ensure that sustained, continuous, strong leadership will exist in the school districts in New York State.

Under current law, school administrators receive the same pension credit for twelve months of work as teachers receive for ten months of work. Accordingly, pension accruals do not reflect the extra two months of work required of superintendents of schools and other school administrators.

This proposal would promote retention of school leaders and make positions in school leadership more attractive to teachers by providing equity in the award of retirement service credit to those administrators and supervisors whose positions require service beyond the ten-month school year. These administrators are now awarded service credit as if they worked only ten months.

The New York State Education Department oversees the related instruction portion of all apprenticeship programs in our State. Every apprenticeship program includes a minimum of 144 hours of related classroom instruction each year for an apprentice.

In the fall of 1998, the Commissioner of Education and the Commissioner of Labor co-chaired a Statewide Apprenticeship Task Force. The purpose of this Task Force was to review the status of our apprenticeship programs and to determine how best to increase enrollment in these job preparation programs.

This proposal would authorize an increase in the reimbursement for instructional services provided by the designated local education agency or sponsoring company under the Apprenticeship Related and Supplemental Instruction Program and to delete the minimum number (150) of apprentices required in order to qualify for administrative aid.