Regents News

At their March meeting, the Board of Regents re-elected their Chancellor and Vice-Chancellor, discussed problems with special education, presented and tabled regulations to implement New York’s state plan under the Every Student Succeeds Act, and further developed an Individual Arts Assessment Pathway to graduation.

 Regents Unanimously Reelect Chancellor Rosa and Vice-Chancellor Brown

The Board of Regents unanimously reelected Chancellor Betty A. Rosa and Vice Chancellor T. Andrew Brown to their second three-year terms in those leadership positions on March 11, 2019. For the State Education Department’s press release see here.

Board of Regents Reports Non-compliance, Discusses Improving Special Education

The Board of Regents reported that the federal government has named New York as a state in need of assistance for its implementation of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Noncompliance areas cited included timely initial individual evaluations, timeliness of due process hearings, graduation rate, least restrictive environment and participation in state assessments. The Department reported that 44 school districts were cited for compliance and performance problems and shared a report and presentation on this topic. ASBO New York has reported the growth in students with disabilities, English learners and economically disadvantaged students in recent years.

Regents Table ESSA Regs Until April, Respond to ASBO Comments

The Board of Regents tabled until their April 2019 meeting regulations to implement their state plan under the Every Student Succeeds Act. Despite the action being deferred until next month there are provisions that may interest ASBO members, so a summary is presented.

Regulatory revisions through February 2019 included, but were not limited to:

• Participation Rate
• N-size
• Out of School Suspensions
• School interventions
• Participatory Budgeting
• District Report Cards
• Translations

The regulations require schools that are in need of improvement (Comprehensive Support and Improvement Schools) to comply with participatory budgeting requirements including the allocation of funds for this purpose, one of several ways a school can increase parent and student engagement. The regulation also allows schools to provide additional funding for Participatory Budgeting in lieu of Public School Choice.

ASBO New York commented on these regulations and ASBO’s comment was included in the regulations with the Department’s response as follows.

Commenter expressed the opinion that the design of the participatory budgeting process is more prescriptive and usurps the statutory authority of school boards to make decisions regarding the allocation and distribution of local resources for school purposes. Decisions related to the expenditure of revenues that are raised locally for school purposes rest exclusively within the authority of school boards. These issues can and should be resolved through use of the Plan’s collaborative process.

DEPARTMENT RESPONSE: The Department routinely requires that funds be set aside to implement provisions of school improvement plans. However, the regulations have been amended to allow schools to select alternate forms of promoting parent and student engagement from a list determined by the Commissioner in lieu of setting aside funds to support participatory budgeting.

Regents Work on Arts Pathway

The Regents discussed work on an Individual Arts Assessment Pathway to graduation to be piloted in 2019-20 and 2020-21 and available for full roll out in school year 2021-22.