2006 New York Code - 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  eleven
  million  two  hundred fifty thousand dollars except for the two thousand
  five--two thousand six school year in which the city school district for
  the  city  of  New  York  shall  receive  an  additional  three  hundred
  seventy-five  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.
    * NB Effective until July 1, 2006
    * 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 eleven
  million two hundred fifty thousand dollars except for the  two  thousand
  six--two  thousand  seven  school year in which the city school district
  for the city of New York shall receive an additional three  million  two
  hundred  seventy-five  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.
    * NB Effective July 1, 2006
    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.