BOCES Fact Sheet
Everything You Wanted To Know About BOCES
(but didn’t know who to ask)
What is BOCES?
BOCES stands for Board of Cooperative Educational Services. BOCES are public organizations that were created by the New York State Legislature in 1948 to provide shared educational programs and services to school districts.
How do the BOCES programs work?
BOCES services are created when two or more school districts determine they have similar needs that can be met by a shared program. BOCES help school districts save money by providing opportunities to pool resources and share costs.
Sharing is an economical way for districts to provide programs and services that they might not be able to afford otherwise. It is usually more efficient and less costly to operate one central service than it is to have separate programs in each school district. However, BOCES services are often customized, offering districts the flexibility to meet their individual needs.
How is BOCES governed?
Each BOCES is governed by a board of education that is made up of representatives from component school districts. They are elected by component boards of education. BOCES board members are responsible for curricular, financial and other policy decisions, just as they are at the local level.
I know BOCES provides special education programs and career/technical programs, but does BOCES offer other services?
BOCES provides many different types of programs, although Special Education and Career and Technical Education are usually the largest programs. Other services available through BOCES fall into the categories of Technology, Professional Development, Adult Education and Management Services. The numbers and types of services offered change continuously as component districts’ needs and requests evolve.
Who decides which BOCES services to purchase?
Local boards of education review their district’s needs each year and make decisions about BOCES services. Because districts’ needs change every year, decisions about BOCES services may also change every year. The decision about whether to participate in each BOCES service is based on the unique needs of each district. If a district doesn’t need a BOCES service, it doesn’t request it and does not pay for it.
Why do school districts participate in BOCES services?
Because BOCES services are shared by two or more school districts, they generally cost much less than if districts provided the services on their own. Districts pool their resources and share the savings.
How are BOCES services paid for?
BOCES have no taxing authority. An administrative charge is assessed in proportion to each component district’s size, but most BOCES revenue is from the fees charged component districts for the BOCES services they have chosen to use. BOCES expenses are incorporated into each district’s annual budget. State aid helps to offset some of the cost, and other services are directly funded by the state or federal government.
What is BOCES aid, who gets it, and why?
New York State gives a financial incentive to encourage participation in shared services by offering BOCES state aid for BOCES services. This is how BOCES state aid works:
Each district’s board of education selects BOCES services for the current year. In the following school year, a portion of the cost of BOCES services is returned to the district by the State of New York. The amount returned to each district depends on which services the district buys and is based on a formula that takes into account the district’s financial resources. Money returned to the district is used as revenue.
What BOCES services do not generate BOCES aid for local districts?
Special education services from BOCES do not earn BOCES aid for local districts, but local districts do receive Excess Cost Aid to offset some of the costs of special education. Also, some expenses within services may not be aided. Other services that do not qualify for BOCES aid are student transportation, services funded from other sources, consumables and adult education. The amount of aid varies from district to district. Statewide, BOCES administrative and capital expenses are 40% covered by BOCES aid and service agreements are 21% covered by BOCES aid.
Do BOCES students graduate from high school?
BOCES does not confer high school diplomas. Most Career and Technical students and some special education students graduate from their local districts with Regents diplomas.