2023 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.