NY Educ L § 316 (2021)
2021 New York Laws EDN - Education Title 1 - General Provisions Article 7 - Commissioner of Education 316 - Teacher Resource and Computer Training Centers.

§ 316. Teacher  resource  and computer training centers. 1. As used in this section, unless another meaning clearly appears from the context:   a. "Teacher resource and computer  training  center"  means  any  site operated by a school district, board of cooperative educational services or  a  consortium  of  school  districts  and/or  boards  of cooperative educational services which is specifically established pursuant to  this section  to provide professional support services to teachers within the state in order to:  (1) assist teachers, diagnose learning needs, experiment with the  use of  multiple  instructional  approaches, assess student outcomes, assess staff development needs and plans, and train other school  personnel  in effective pedagogical approaches;  (2)  provide  demonstration  and  training  sites  where  teachers are trained, specifically in the use of  computers  as  teaching  aids;  the criteria  for  school  acquisition  and  use  of  computer equipment and software; and the evaluation of computer-related materials;  (3) develop and produce curricula and curricular materials designed to meet the educational needs of students being served through  application of  educational  research  or  new  or  improved methods, practices, and techniques;  (4) provide training to improve the skills of  teachers  in  order  to enable such teachers to meet the special educational needs of the pupils they  serve,  and  to  familiarize  such  teachers  with developments in curriculum formulation and educational research, including the manner in which the research can be used to improve teaching skills;  (5) provide a location where  teachers  may  share  resources,  ideas, methods  and  approaches  directly  related to classroom instruction and become familiar with current teaching materials and products for use  in their classrooms; and  (6)  retrain teachers and other educational personnel to become better qualified to teach in subject areas necessary to  prepare  students  for the  developing  high technology era, in the disciplines of mathematics, science and computer technology.   b. "Site" for the purposes of this section shall mean the location  or locations  where  the  curriculum development and training activities of the teacher resource and computer training center take place.   2. In order to provide the school districts and teachers of the  state with  an  opportunity to develop systematic, ongoing in-service training programs,  assure  the  dissemination  and  application  of  educational research developments to classroom instruction and develop new curricula and  curricular  materials specifically designed to meet the educational needs of the students served, the commissioner shall,  within  available state  appropriations  and subject to the procedures established in this section, provide funds to school districts  and  boards  of  cooperative educational services to plan, establish and operate teacher resource and computer  training  centers. Any school district or board of cooperative educational  services  requesting  such  funds  shall  make  application therefor  at such time, in such manner, and containing or accompanied by such information as the commissioner may  through  this  section  or  by regulation  require.  Applications  shall  be  made within the following categories:  (i) a school district with a teacher population  of  one  thousand  or more;  (ii)  a  school  district with a teacher population of five hundred or more but less than one thousand;  (iii) a school district with a teacher population of  less  than  five hundred;  (iv) a board of cooperative educational services; or  (v)  a  consortium  of  two  or more school districts and/or boards of cooperative educational services.   3.  Each  such application shall be reviewed by the state professional standards and practices board for teaching.  The  board  shall  in  each instance recommend to the commissioner action, as appropriate, including specific  reasons  when  it  is  negative. Any school district, board of cooperative  educational   services   or   consortium   whose   original application  is  rejected may resubmit a revised application for further review.  Notwithstanding  any  other  provision  to  the  contrary,   an application to continue a teacher resource center which was in operation prior  to the nineteen hundred eighty-four--nineteen hundred eighty-five school year shall be deemed automatically approved.   4. The commissioner shall establish criteria and  standards  by  which applications  shall  be  evaluated  which  shall  include provisions for furnishing  technical  assistance  and  information  provided   by   the department  through  the  facilities  of  the  proposed teacher resource center, provided, however, that such criteria  and  standards  shall  be consistent  with  federal  regulations  which were applicable to teacher resource centers in operation during  the  nineteen  hundred  eighty-two calendar year.   5.  Any  school district, board of cooperative educational services or consortium  having  an  application  approved  under  this  section  may collaborate, consult and contract with an approved institution of higher education  in  New  York  state to carry out activities under or provide technical  assistance  in  connection  with   such   application.   Each application shall be reviewed by the professional practices subcommittee of the state professional standards and practices board for teaching.   6.  Each  teacher  resource  and  computer  training  center  shall be operated by a  board,  the  majority  of  which  shall  be  composed  of elementary  and  secondary  school  teachers  representative of teachers served by the teacher resource and  computer  training  center.  Teacher members  shall  be  designated by the collective bargaining agent of the teachers served by the teacher resource and  computer  training  center. Such board shall also include individuals designated by the school board or  board  of cooperative educational services served by such center and at least one representative designated by  the  institutions  of  higher education  located  in  the area served by such center. Such board shall also include at least one parent of an elementary  or  secondary  school pupil  and  at  least  one representative of a business or industry that uses, produces or is involved with computer equipment and software.   7. The powers  and  duties  of  each  teacher  resource  and  computer training  center  board shall include policy formulation, the employment of staff or consultants, budget control  and  expenditure  of  funds  to accomplish   the   purposes   of   this   section,  recommendations  for subcontracting to secure technical and other kinds  of  assistance,  and any other appropriate managerial or supervisory activities not otherwise prohibited by state or local law or regulations of the commissioner.   7-a.  Notwithstanding  any  other provision of law, a teacher resource and computer training center board may collaborate, consult and contract with a school district or  board  of  cooperative  educational  services which  is  included  in  the  application  for the establishment of such teacher resource and computer training  center  for  the  assignment  of teachers  employed  by  such  school  district  or  board of cooperative educational services; provided, however, in such case such teacher shall continue  to  accrue  all  employment  rights  and  benefits,  including seniority,  with  the  employing school district or board of cooperative educational services and the  teacher  resource  and  computer  training  center   board   shall  reimburse  such  school  district  or  board  of cooperative educational services for the services of such teacher.   8.  Funds  provided each school year to school districts and boards of cooperative educational services by the commissioner to plan,  establish and  operate  teacher  resource  and computer training centers shall not exceed two million dollars per center, except that for the  city  school district  for  the city of New York such center shall not exceed sixteen million eight hundred thousand dollars and provided  further  that  each approved  center shall receive not less than twenty thousand dollars. In any year in which there is a statewide increase in funding  for  teacher resource   and   computer  training  centers,  such  increase  shall  be distributed   proportionately   among   existing   centers   that   have satisfactorily  fulfilled  the  requirements  of  such  centers' current grant. A portion  of  the  increase  shall  be  made  available  to  new applicants  to  establish  new  teacher  centers, and to current teacher centers to develop and implement regional and statewide  teacher  center activities.   9.  Evaluation  and  annual  reports. a. Teacher resource and computer training centers shall  provide  data  annually  as  prescribed  by  the commissioner.   b.  The  commissioner  shall  prepare  and submit to the governor, the temporary president of the senate and the speaker of the  assembly,  not later  than May first, nineteen hundred ninety-nine and by the first day of January in each year thereafter, a report detailing the financial and programmatic information for  teacher  resource  and  computer  training centers.  Such report shall, at a minimum, set forth with respect to the preceding school year: cost information for individual services provided by such centers; numbers of teachers and other staff served,  summarized in the aggregate, by elementary and secondary school levels, and by home school  district;  lists  of  programs  and  courses  offered, including identification of those with credit toward college graduate degrees  and those  which  relate  to  specific  academic  areas  and higher learning standards; and aggregate expenditure data for the following  categories: administration,  staff  development  services, rent and other facilities costs,  and  other  services;  and  such  other  information  as  deemed appropriate   by   the   commissioner  to  assist  the  commissioner  in identifying  cost-effective  services  and   programs   which   may   be successfully replicated in other centers, school districts and boards of cooperative  educational  services  (BOCES).  The  format for the report shall be developed by  the  commissioner  in  consultation  with  school district officials, and teacher resource center officials, provided that all  information  in  such report shall be displayed on both a statewide and individual center basis. Such report shall include changes from  the year  prior  to  the  report  year  for  each  such item for all teacher resource and computer training centers and shall be  made  available  to other interested parties upon request.   c.  Funds  provided  under  the teacher resource and computer training centers program may be used to contract with  educational  organizations for  the  purpose  of  conducting  a  statewide  program evaluation. The professional practices subcommittee of the  professional  standards  and practices  board  shall  review and approve grant applications submitted for this purpose.