Education (K-12 Education)

This bill removes a requirement that students attend a New York high school for at least two years to qualify for certain state student loans. It directly affects New York high school graduates applying for undergraduate or graduate student loans under the state's higher education programs. The key change amends eligibility criteria in the Education Law, eliminating the two-year attendance rule while maintaining other requirements like graduation and timely application (within five years for undergrad, ten for grad). The policy change simplifies access to specific loans for students who may not have met the prior attendance threshold.

This bill creates a new tax deduction for K-12 educators, allowing them to deduct up to $300 annually (or $600 for married couples filing jointly, with $300 each) for unreimbursed work-related expenses. It directly affects teachers, counselors, principals, and aides who worked at least 900 hours during a school year. Eligible expenses include professional development, books, supplies, computer equipment, and supplementary materials (with specific rules for health/physical education supplies). The deduction is added to the tax code as a concrete policy change, effective immediately upon enactment.

S 8959 mandates that all New York public and private elementary and high schools include a dedicated unit studying the Irish potato famine (1845-1850) as part of their required civic education curriculum. This bill amends education law to specifically require schools to teach about the "mass starvation in Ireland from 1845 to 1850" alongside other topics like slavery, the Holocaust, and genocide. It directly affects all K-12 students in New York schools over age eight, requiring schools to integrate this historical study into existing courses on citizenship and human rights. The law takes effect July 1, 2026, following committee referral.

Enacts into law major components of legislation necessary to implement the state education, labor, housing and family assistance budget for the 2026-2027 state fiscal year; relates to contracts for excellence, foundation aid, the homeless and foster count, renewable energy projects, zero-emissions school buses and to apportioning aid for universal prekindergarten; relates to reimbursement for the 2026-2027 school year and the maximum contract hours, withholding a portion of employment preparation education aid, and the effectiveness thereof; relates to the use of apportionments for the EXCEL program and the effectiveness thereof; relates to maximum class sizes for special classes for certain students with disabilities; provides for special apportionment for salary expenses; provides for special apportionment for public pension accruals; amends provisions relating to the apportionment amount for the Roosevelt union free school district; provides for set-asides from the state funds which certain districts are receiving from the total foundation aid; provides for support of public libraries; repeals certain provisions relating to the statewide universal full-day prekindergarten program (Part A); relates to evidence-based instructional practices in the subject of mathematics for students in kindergarten through grade five (Part B); relates to the eligibility of students enrolled in an approved program leading to a degree in a high demand field for the New York opportunity promise scholarship (Part C); allows for the chancellor of SUNY and CUNY to impose differential tuition rates on non-resident undergraduate and graduate students until the 2028-2029 academic year (Part E); relates to early childhood educator eligibility for the masters-in-education teacher incentive scholarship program (Part F); changes the name of the "New York state musical instrument revolving fund" to the "New York state music grant fund"; includes musical education in school districts and boards of cooperative educational services within not-for-profit musical entities incorporated in the state and organized for the purpose of the presentation of performing arts for the benefit of the public (Part G); extends provisions of law relating to restructuring financing for residential school placements (Part K); increases the standards of monthly need for aged, blind and disabled persons living in the community (Part L); utilizes reserves in the mortgage insurance fund for the neighborhood preservation program, the rural preservation program, the rural rental assistance program, and the New York state supportive housing program, the solutions to end homelessness program or the operational support for AIDS housing program (Part M); increases the number of land banks which can simultaneously exist in the state of New York from 35 to 45 (Part N); authorizes a tax abatement for alterations and improvements to multiple dwellings for purposes of preserving habitability in affordable housing (Part O); relates to establishing the crime of aggravated harassment of a rent regulated tenant (Part P); renumbers the disparate impact standard for housing and employment in the human rights law (Part Q); defines eligible multiple dwelling under the affordable New York housing program; includes a multiple dwelling that is located on a parcel of land which was part of a tract of land for which a special permit for a large scale general development was approved via the uniform land use review procedure on or before June 15, 2022, and such tract contains a multiple dwelling for which the commencement date is after December 31, 2015 and on or before June 15, 2022 and complies with certain affordability options (Part R).

Enacts into law major components of legislation necessary to implement the state education, labor, housing and family assistance budget for the 2026-2027 state fiscal year; relates to contracts for excellence, foundation aid, the homeless and foster count, renewable energy projects, zero-emissions school buses and to apportioning aid for universal prekindergarten; relates to reimbursement for the 2026-2027 school year and the maximum contract hours, withholding a portion of employment preparation education aid, and the effectiveness thereof; relates to the use of apportionments for the EXCEL program and the effectiveness thereof; relates to maximum class sizes for special classes for certain students with disabilities; provides for special apportionment for salary expenses; provides for special apportionment for public pension accruals; amends provisions relating to the apportionment amount for the Roosevelt union free school district; provides for set-asides from the state funds which certain districts are receiving from the total foundation aid; provides for support of public libraries; repeals certain provisions relating to the statewide universal full-day prekindergarten program (Part A); relates to evidence-based instructional practices in the subject of mathematics for students in kindergarten through grade five (Part B); relates to the eligibility of students enrolled in an approved program leading to a degree in a high demand field for the New York opportunity promise scholarship (Part C); allows for the chancellor of SUNY and CUNY to impose differential tuition rates on non-resident undergraduate and graduate students until the 2028-2029 academic year (Part E); relates to early childhood educator eligibility for the masters-in-education teacher incentive scholarship program (Part F); changes the name of the "New York state musical instrument revolving fund" to the "New York state music grant fund"; includes musical education in school districts and boards of cooperative educational services within not-for-profit musical entities incorporated in the state and organized for the purpose of the presentation of performing arts for the benefit of the public (Part G); extends provisions of law relating to restructuring financing for residential school placements (Part K); increases the standards of monthly need for aged, blind and disabled persons living in the community (Part L); utilizes reserves in the mortgage insurance fund for the neighborhood preservation program, the rural preservation program, the rural rental assistance program, and the New York state supportive housing program, the solutions to end homelessness program or the operational support for AIDS housing program (Part M); increases the number of land banks which can simultaneously exist in the state of New York from 35 to 45 (Part N); authorizes a tax abatement for alterations and improvements to multiple dwellings for purposes of preserving habitability in affordable housing (Part O); relates to establishing the crime of aggravated harassment of a rent regulated tenant (Part P); renumbers the disparate impact standard for housing and employment in the human rights law (Part Q); defines eligible multiple dwelling under the affordable New York housing program; includes a multiple dwelling that is located on a parcel of land which was part of a tract of land for which a special permit for a large scale general development was approved via the uniform land use review procedure on or before June 15, 2022, and such tract contains a multiple dwelling for which the commencement date is after December 31, 2015 and on or before June 15, 2022 and complies with certain affordability options (Part R).

This bill requires the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) to create a free bus fare program for all high school students attending accredited public or non-public schools in New York City. It mandates that the program operate daily from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. during regular bus service hours, without limiting it to off-peak times. The MTA chair must establish rules to implement the program, which would take effect January 1st after enactment. The bill directly affects NYC high school students by eliminating bus fare costs during specified hours.

Authorizes the commissioner of general services to transfer and convey certain state land to the Syosset Central School District for the purpose of building new and expanding current facilities at Berry Hill Elementary School; provides for the repeal of such provisions upon expiration thereof.

Establishes the office of the youth public advocate in the executive office of the mayor; provides that the office will operate and maintain youth-related services and programs, including but not limited to, after school programs, jobs, literacy programs and youth internships, and will develop and implement policies to increase summer employment, high school admission, retention and graduation rates.

Authorizes students attending the Syracuse Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics high school, who participated in a high school athletic competition for a school district other than the Syracuse city school district in 7th and/or 8th grade, to be eligible for senior high school athletic competitions.

This bill requires New York elementary schools to schedule daily recess for all kindergarten through fifth-grade students. Schools must provide either one 30-minute period or two 15-minute periods of unstructured physical activity each school day, held outdoors when reasonable. The recess time cannot overlap with scheduled lunch periods or physical education classes. The law applies to all public elementary schools and takes effect for the school year starting July 1 following its enactment.