Report of Regents P-12 Education Committee to The Board of Regents

Your P-12 Education Committee held its scheduled meeting on November 15, 2021.  All members were present.

ACTION ITEMS

Initial Applications Authorized by the Board of Regents [P-12 (A) 1]

Your Committee recommends that the Board of Regents find that: (1) the proposed charter school meets the requirements set out in Article 56 of the Education Law, and all other applicable laws, rules and regulations; (2) the applicant can demonstrate the ability to operate the school in an educationally and fiscally sound manner; (3) granting the application is likely to improve student learning and achievement and materially further the purposes set out in subdivision two of section twenty-eight hundred fifty of Article 56 of the Education Law; and (4) granting the application will have a significant educational benefit to the students expected to attend the charter school, and the Board of Regents therefore approves and issues a charter and provisional charter to Innova Girls Academy Charter School, for a term of five years in accordance with §2851(2)(p) of the Education Law.

The motion passed.  Regent Cashin, Regent Ouderkirk, and Regent Tilles opposed. Regent Mead was absent for the vote.

Proposed Amendment to Section 125.1(d) of the Regulations of the Commissioner of Education Relating to Annual Visits to Voluntarily Registered Nursery Schools and Kindergartens [P-12 (A) 2]

Your Committee recommends that section 125.1(d) of the Regulations of the Commissioner of Education be amended, as submitted, effective November 16, 2021 as an emergency action upon a finding by the Board of Regents that such action is necessary for the preservation of the general welfare and public health to continue to provide flexibility for the annual visitation of voluntarily registered nursery schools and kindergartens during the 2021-2022 school year due to the COVID-19 crisis.     

The motion passed.  There were no oppositions or abstentions. Regent Mead was absent for the vote.

MOTION FOR ACTION BY FULL BOARD

Mr. Chancellor and Colleagues:  Your P-12 Education Committee recommends, and we move, that the Board of Regents act affirmatively upon each recommendation in the oral report of the Committee's deliberations at its meeting on November 16, 2021.

MATTERS NOT REQUIRING BOARD ACTION

Proposed Amendment to Section 170.12 of the Regulations of the Commissioner of Education Relating to School Districts’ Exemption from the Establishment of an Internal Audit Function [P-12 (D) 1]

Department staff presented a proposed technical amendment to section 170.12(b)(3) of the Commissioner’s regulations relating to exemptions to the internal audit functions for certain school districts.

Proposed Amendments to Commissioner’s Regulations 200.1 and 200.5 to Address Special Education Due Process in New York City [P-12 (D) 2]

Department staff presented proposed amendments to Commissioner’s Regulations regarding special education due process procedures and Impartial Hearing Officers, to assist New York City to address its waitlist of 6,000 unassigned due process complaints.

Non-State Aid Budget and Legislative Initiatives [P-12 (D) 3]

Department staff updated the Board of Regents on the P-12 non-state aid budget and legislative initiatives.

Graduation Measures Update

Department staff discussed the updated schedule and plans for the Graduation Measures Regional Meetings taking place December 2021 through the beginning of February 2022.

2021 3-8 ELA/Math Preliminary Results Presentation

Department staff presented a high-level overview of the publicly released SY 2020-2021 3-8 ELA and Math state assessment participation and outcome data.

Substantial Equivalence Update

Department staff reviewed the history of this work and provided an overview of next steps.

Consent Agenda

The Board of Regents approved the following consent agenda items at its November 2021 meeting.

• Proposed Technical Amendment to Section 100.2(gg)(8) of the Regulations of the Commissioner of Education Relating to the Uniform Violent or Disruptive Incident Reporting System, Also Known as the School Safety and Educational Climate Reporting System (2nd emergency adoption)
• Proposed Amendment of Section 100.21 of the Regulations of the Commissioner of Education Relating to Providing Flexibility for Accountability Requirements in Response to the COVID-19 Crisis
• Petition of the Lisbon Central School District for Consent to Exceed the Constitutional Debt Limit
• Petition of the Ogdensburg Central School District for Consent to Exceed the Constitutional Debt Limit