NYSSBA's Fiscal Reform "Playbook" Addresses Costly State Mandates

Last week, the New York State School Boards Association (NYSSBA) released its Fiscal Reform "Playbook," a package of seven recommended mandate relief initiatives that would allow New York school districts to operate more efficiently. 


The seven key components of the proposal are:

1. Reform the “Triborough” Amendment to the state’s Taylor Law to allow school districts to freeze salaries upon the expiration of a contract.
2. Cap the maximum amount that school districts would contribute to a health insurance policy to bring New York more in line with the national average.
3. Eliminate seniority as the sole factor in layoff determinations.
4. Streamline the teacher disciplinary process to make it less time-consuming and less expensive.
5. Stabilize pension costs by providing new public school employees with the option of choosing a pure defined contribution retirement plan or a hybrid defined benefit/defined contribution plan through a new tier in the state pension system.
6. Reduce the costs associated with special education by eliminating the more than 200 state laws and regulations that exceed federal IDEA requirements.
7. Give schools the ability to leverage the purchasing power of large, national procurement cooperatives and contracts entered into by other states and local governments. 

For more details on the NYSSBA Fiscal Reform Playbook, please click on the link below.

NYSSBA Fiscal Reform Playbook