BILL NUMBER: S1491
SPONSOR: FAHY
 
TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the education law, in relation to authorizing a weighted
selection process for the allocation of certain prekindergarten seats
 
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:
Authorizes a weighted selection process for the allocation of certain
prekindergarten seats
 
SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS:
Section 1 amends section 3602-e of the education law to provide that a
school district offering prekindergarten program services and utilizing
a random selection basis for enrollment when there is a greater number
of eligible children than can be served by such a prekindergarten
program may utilize a weighted selection process which first enrolls
children who are eligible for free or reduced price lunch and emergent
multilingual learners.
Section 2 sets the effective date.
 
JUSTIFICATION:
Many public-school districts in New York offer preschool program
services, however the utilization rates of these programs can vary based
on location. While some schools have unused slots for pre-k, many other
districts face more demand for prekindergarten slots than they can
offer, and these students are waitlisted. Under current law, school
districts may utilize a lottery system to place students in prekinder-
garten programs when demand for slots exceeds availability. One draw-
back of this ;approach, however, is that students who may have few
accessible alternatives for prekindergarten instruction,' such as those
who are English language learners or socioeconomically disadvantaged,
may be left without any prekindergarten instruction at all under a
lottery-based admissions system. This legislation allows school
districts who find themselves with fewer prekindergarten slots than
demanded to prioritize students who would have the most trouble securing
prekindergarten services outside of the public school district.
2023-2024: S.7842-A - Referred to Education/A.8074-A - Referred to
Education
 
FISCAL IMPLICATION:
None.
 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.

Statutes affected:
S1491: 3602-e education law, 3602-e(7) education law