Senator Leroy Comrie introduced Bill S6510 in the Senate Rules Committee on 6/14/19. This bill proposes to create additional NYC specialized high schools (SHS), guarantees free Special High School Admissions Test (SHSAT) tutoring services to all students, requires eligible 8th grade public students to take the SHSAT but with the ability to opt-out, proposes to create new Gifted and Talented (G&T) programs for elementary and middle school students and requires eligible students to take the G&T admission exam, and mandates the NYC DOE to conduct additional outreach concerning the SHS and SHSAT. Here is a link to the bill. Here is a link to a NY Post article about the bill. You can contact Senator Leroy Comrie here to share your thoughts on this bill. You can contact your Senator here to share your thoughts on this bill.
Bill A02173 was passed in the Education Committee and referred to Assembly Rules Committee on 6/18/19. This bill proposed changes to how students are selected for SHS and shifts the decision making about SHS admission to the NYC DOE. Here is a link to the bill and the committee members’ votes. Here is a link to a Chalkbeat article about this bill. You can contact your Assembly representative here to share your thoughts on this bill.
How an education bill becomes law: The bill has to pass the Assembly Education Committee, then it must be passed by the full Assembly. The bill must also pass the Senate Education Committee and then it must be passed by the full Senate. After the same bill is passed by both the NYS Assembly and the NYS Senate, it goes to the Governor who signs it and it becomes law.
Legislative sessions in NY last two years and the legislature convenes in Albany each January through the end of June. The current two-year legislative session began in January 2019. This means legislation introduced in January 2019 can be considered in the legislature until the end of the session in June 2020.
