Bill Text: NY A06293 | 2021-2022 | General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Adjusts state qualitative skill education assessment standards; makes an appropriation therefor.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2022-01-05 - referred to economic development [A06293 Detail]
Download: New_York-2021-A06293-Introduced.html
STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 6293 2021-2022 Regular Sessions IN ASSEMBLY March 12, 2021 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. BICHOTTE HERMELYN, RICHARDSON -- read once and referred to the Committee on Economic Development AN ACT to amend the New York state urban development corporation act, in relation to creating a grant program for school districts, insti- tutions of higher education, nonprofit organizations, other public agencies and businesses to prepare students for postsecondary STEM education and careers; and making an appropriation therefor The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Subdivision 1 of section 16-m of section 1 of chapter 174 2 of the laws of 1968, constituting the New York state urban development 3 corporation act, is amended by adding a new paragraph (o) to read as 4 follows: 5 (o) Assistance to effectively prepare students for postsecondary 6 education and careers in science and computer science, technology, engi- 7 neering and mathematics (STEM) by providing STEM grants. 8 (i) The chairman of the corporation, in cooperation with the commis- 9 sioner of the state education department, shall encourage school 10 districts and other qualified applicants to establish new STEM programs 11 and expand existing STEM programs, and shall establish criteria for the 12 development and submission of grant applications and proposals and for 13 the selection of recipients of STEM grants, as provided in this para- 14 graph. 15 (ii) Any school district or other qualified applicant that applies for 16 funding under this paragraph, shall work with relevant state and local 17 educational agencies to develop comprehensive plans for identifying, 18 developing, testing, and implementing evidence-based practices to 19 provide STEM learning opportunities for students and support the imple- 20 mentation of such plans by employing a wide range of strategies, includ- 21 ing the recruitment, preparation, and professional development of effec- 22 tive STEM educators. Qualified applicants include school districts, EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [] is old law to be omitted. LBD07111-01-1A. 6293 2 1 institutions of higher education, nonprofit organizations, other public 2 agencies and businesses providing educational services to prepare 3 students for postsecondary STEM education and careers. 4 (iii) STEM grants shall be awarded on a competitive basis. First 5 priority shall be given to high need school districts and high need 6 schools. Grants shall be awarded based on factors including, but not 7 limited to, the following: 8 (A) measures of school district need; 9 (B) measures of the need of students to be served by each applying 10 school districts; 11 (C) the school district's proposal to target the highest need schools 12 and students; 13 (D) the extent to which the district's proposal would prioritize funds 14 to maximize the total number of eligible children in the district served 15 in STEM programs; and 16 (E) the quality of the proposal. 17 (iv) Recipients of STEM grants shall use the funds to: 18 (A) promote and develop in-school and out-of-school curricular tools 19 and professional development for STEM educators at the elementary school 20 and secondary school levels; 21 (B) provide instruction and mentoring services to new teachers in STEM 22 subjects; 23 (C) promote and develop rigorous undergraduate pre-service teacher 24 programs at institutions of higher education that emphasize STEM 25 contact; 26 (D) support the participation of elementary school and secondary 27 school students in competitions, out-of-school activities, and field 28 experiences related to STEM subjects; 29 (E) develop STEM related education and workforce training programs in 30 secondary schools and community colleges to reflect the needs of the 31 local community; and 32 (F) create after school programs to promote STEM education and 33 careers. 34 (v) Grants shall be made for a recurrent period of five years, 35 commencing with the two thousand twenty-one-two thousand twenty-two 36 school year. At the end of the five year period, the chairman of the 37 corporation shall evaluate the effectiveness of the STEM grants based on 38 criteria developed in cooperation with the commissioner of the state 39 education department. 40 (vi) This grant program will not mandate a testing or evaluative model 41 that is separate from current state testing and evaluative requirements 42 for primary and secondary students. 43 § 2. The sum of fifty million dollars ($50,000,000), or so much there- 44 of as may be necessary, is hereby appropriated to the urban development 45 corporation out of the moneys in the state treasury in the general fund 46 to the credit of the empire state economic development fund established 47 pursuant to section 16-m of the New York state urban development corpo- 48 ration act not otherwise appropriated, and made immediately available, 49 for the purpose of STEM grants and carrying out the provisions of this 50 act. Funds for STEM grants shall be distributed to each qualifying 51 school district in installments upon successful implementation of each 52 phase of the school district's approved proposal. No school district 53 shall receive more than forty percent of the total STEM grant allo- 54 cation. Within a school district, each individual STEM site shall be 55 limited to a maximum grant of five hundred thousand dollars ($500,000). 56 Any portion of funding that is not awarded in a particular school yearA. 6293 3 1 shall remain available for awards in subsequent school years; provided 2 that in the event that the chairman of the urban development corporation 3 elects to discontinue the program after the initial five year period 4 described in section one of this act, and remaining funding shall be 5 returned to the state treasury to the credit of the general fund. 6 § 3. This act shall take effect immediately; provided that the amend- 7 ments to subdivision 1 of section 16-m of section 1 of chapter 174 of 8 the laws of 1968, constituting the New York state urban development 9 corporation act made by section one of this act, shall not affect the 10 expiration of such section and shall be deemed to expire therewith.
