NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
BILL NUMBER: A4607
SPONSOR: McGowan TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the education law, in relation to adjusting the regional
cost index for state school aid with respect to the Hudson Valley region
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:
Adjusts the regional labor force cost index for the Hudson Valley region
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section I: Amends the education law to adjust the regional cost index in
the Hudson Valley
Section II: Provides the effective date
JUSTIFICATION:
Westchester and Rockland Counties pays the highest and second highest
property taxes in America, respectively. This is primarily driven by
school taxes and the increased cost of labor. Over the past two
decades, Westchester and Rockland County have been severely shortchanged
by the broken state school aid formula, including the Regional Cost
Index, which treats Westchester and Rockland County schools like upstate
New York schools, as opposed to Long Island and New York City. This bill
would change the regional cost index for the Hudson Valley to better
reflect the high cost of living and labor costs and ensure the Westches-
ter and Rockland schools receive their fair share of state school aid.
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
2021/2022: A.4648A
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS FOR STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS:
None
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
4607
2023-2024 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
February 17, 2023
___________
Introduced by M. of A. MCGOWAN -- read once and referred to the Commit-
tee on Education
AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to adjusting the regional
cost index for state school aid with respect to the Hudson Valley
region
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Subparagraph 2 of paragraph a of subdivision 4 of section
2 3602 of the education law, as amended by section 9-b of part CCC of
3 chapter 59 of the laws of 2018, is amended to read as follows:
4 (2) (A) The regional cost index shall reflect an analysis of labor
5 market costs based on median salaries in professional occupations that
6 require similar credentials to those of positions in the education
7 field, but not including those occupations in the education field,
8 provided that the regional cost indices for the two thousand seven--two
9 thousand eight school year [and thereafter] through the two thousand
10 twenty-two--two thousand twenty-three school year shall be as follows:
11 Labor Force Region Index
12 Capital District 1.124
13 Southern Tier 1.045
14 Western New York 1.091
15 Hudson Valley 1.314
16 Long Island/NYC 1.425
17 Finger Lakes 1.141
18 Central New York 1.103
19 Mohawk Valley 1.000
20 North Country 1.000
21 (B) For the two thousand twenty-three--two thousand twenty-four school
22 year and thereafter the regional cost indices shall be as follows:
23 Labor Force RegionIndex
24 Capital District1.124
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD06245-01-3
A. 4607 2
1 Southern Tier1.045
2 Western New York1.091
3 Hudson Valley1.425
4 Long Island/NYC1.425
5 Finger Lakes1.141
6 Central New York1.103
7 Mohawk Valley1.000
8 North Country1.000
9 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
