Message from the Executive Director
June 7, 2026
Dear Members and Stakeholders,
The state legislative session wrapped up late last week, just one week after the budget was adopted.
NYSSBA’s Governmental Relations team spent the final days of the session intensely focused on pushing multiple priority bills through the legislature over the final days. Through emails, phone calls, support memos and many conversations in the halls of the Capitol during this past week, we have secured two-house passage of multiple bills. The bills are reflective of, or are consistent with, official NYSSBA position statements. They include:
- S.1986 (Harckham) / A.6318 (Griffin) – Would extend the maximum energy-performance contract term from 18 years to 25 years.
- S.7150-B (Hinchey) / A.4384-B (Paulin) – Would align ballot deadlines for small city school district board elections with other school district election timelines.
- S.8904-A (Mayer) / A.10673 (Woerner) – Would permit BOCES to lease buildings from public entities for up to 20 years, as compared to the current 10-year limit.
- S.9367-A (Bailey) / A.10218-A (Woerner) – Would extend the small group health insurance consortium exception (51-100 employees) for an additional three years.
- S.10075-A (Zellner) / A.11162-A (Solages) – Would extend the authority for school districts to engage in shared purchasing (commonly referred to as piggybacking) for an additional year.
- S.194-D (Martinez) / A.5079-E (O’Pharrow) – Would establish specialized certification requirements for school security guards.
- S.9272-A (Fernandez) / A.8814-A (McDonald) – Would require schools to stock opioid antagonists and direct the state Department of Health to supply districts with sufficient amounts.
Our Governmental Relations team did a great job during this session with 13 standalone bills we supported passing in both houses and none of the bills we officially opposed reaching the governor for her signature. A half-dozen local district specific bills that NYSSBA supported on behalf of its members passed both houses.
I want to thank them, along with the many members who participated in Lobby Day, Take Actions and other advocacy activities, for a successful session. Our Advocacy Liaisons played a key role in our successes this session. You all are making a positive difference for public education in New York State, your districts and your students.
Take action to oppose the federal School Choice Tax Credit
Since last year, NYSSBA has called on Gov. Kathy Hochul and other state leaders to not opt-in to the federal tax credit program, which will strengthen investments in private education while leaving fewer resources for student programs and services in public schools. In December, we joined the Educational Conference Board (ECB) in issuing a joint statement urging the governor to reject the program. While she has expressed an interest in opting-in, she has suggested she plans to wait for final guidelines to be released by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) before making any official decision. The state must opt-in before the end of 2026 in order to participate in 2027.
We need you to Take Action by sending a message to Gov. Hochul calling on her to support public education by not opting New York in to the federal tax credit program. The message is crafted so that you can share the link with others within your school community, and I hope you will do so.
Summer Law will help you avoid AI missteps
The intersection between artificial intelligence (AI) and education has been the subject of many news articles and conversations at the board table, but it’s likely there are AI-related pitfalls, including inadvertent civil rights violations, that may not be on your mind.
NYSSBA’s Summer Law Conference, "Walking the Line Between Uncertainty and Clarity," will help you better understand how to navigate the expanding potential for legal liability that can arise from the use of AI in public schools.
AI can create issues and concerns that affect both student and staff civil rights in areas such as:
- Privacy protection when surveillance software is used for security purposes.
- Technology-enabled behaviors that may produce discriminatory outcomes.
- Apps that deny equal access to education by not offering reasonable accommodations.
Learn from experienced attorneys as they share how to navigate these critical issues and offer potential solutions.
I’d encourage you to register for the session in Albany on July 23 or one of the other two locations to take advantage of this strong program. The conference will also deliver the latest legal information related to the topsy-turvy world of immunization exemptions, cybersecurity and a review of new laws, regulations and court and other rulings. Once the Summer Law Conference wraps up, I’d encourage you to stay in Albany for the Leadership in Education Event, which is at the same hotel on the following two days.
COSSBA, NSBA leaders to participate in Brookings Institution webinar focused on school boards
Tomorrow, June 8, at 11:30 a.m., The Brookings Institution will be offering its webinar, "The Past, Present, and Future of School Boards." The virtual discussion about America's school boards will include Kathy McFarland, executive director, Consortium of State School Boards Association (COSSBA) and Verjeana McCotter-Jacobs, executive director and CEO, National School Boards Association (NSBA) among others. Register here.
Hunger Solutions NY offers resources to help families access food this summer
We know that far too many children will lose consistent access to free meals after the school year ends. Summertime can place added pressure on families’ budgets and increase the risk of food insecurity. To help make sure families know about the food resources available through the summer months, Hunger Solutions New York is offering a free toolkit for schools to use to share this information in end-of-year communications. The toolkit includes ready-to-use language for newsletters, websites, emails and other communication channels.
SED reminds districts of FASFA resources
During our monthly stakeholder meeting, the team at the State Education Department asked me to remind the field that there are resources to help families complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), which is the first step in accessing financial aid that can make college a reality.
So far, 61.4% of New York’s Class of 2026 has completed the FAFSA, putting the state sixth in the nation. Last year, New York students left $250 million in federal financial aid unclaimed simply because they didn’t complete the FAFSA.
The State University of New York has resources available including:
- Financial aid officers, who can help any New Yorkers with financial aid questions, even if the student isn’t headed to that school. Contact your local SUNY institution for help.
- SUNY FAFSA Corps of college students trained specifically in helping students complete the FAFSA, especially around some of the trickier questions. You can email them for support.
Other resources include the UAspire Toolkit, HESC Toolkit and various events.
On Board’s June 8 issue now available
The June 18 edition of On Board provides coverage of the adopted state budget including the zero-emissions bus mandate delay, school budget vote results, SED mental health briefs and an inspirational story about a student who is helping his peers improve their self-image. Other stories showcase the Jericho UFSD’s science research program and school members who have reached training milestones. Plus, you can read about a high school student serving on the Democratic National Committee’s Executive Council and NYSUT’s call for reducing student screen time.
Weekly updates and reminders
Before your board votes on a facility project, budget proposal or program change — how confident are you in the enrollment trends and demographic assumptions behind it? If the answer is "not very," you're not alone. Fortunately, there's a free fix. Dr. Amy Brombos, who serves organizations across New York State as a data dissemination specialist with the U.S. Census Bureau’s Data Dissemination and Training Branch, will help you access free federal data sources, validate planning assumptions, spot population shifts and ask your administrators more informed questions.
Register now: Leadership in Education Event, July 24-25, at the Crowne Plaza Albany
Registration is open for the fifth annual Leadership in Education Event, our premier summer learning experience. The highly interactive learning opportunities will provide you with an in-depth view of key education and school district topics, delivered by top speakers in the field. In addition to a conversation about the Portrait of a Graduate with SED Commissioner Betty A. Rosa, the event will cover student wellbeing in a digital world, community engagement, artificial intelligence and cybersecurity. There will also be a session on the Dignity Index and opportunities to network.
From SED this week
The State Education Department shared the following this week:
- On Monday, June 22, public schools and districts, charter schools, and BOCES can begin submitting aggregate incident counts via the online reporting application, the IRS Data Exchange or "IDEx," which is accessed through the NYSED Application Business Portal.
- Six schools in New York State piloted the Bird Nests Prekindergarten Scientific Exploration during the 2024-2025 school year. These districts shared photographs, activities and feedback, which can be viewed on the Office of Early Learning’s Piloting the Bird Nests Scientific Exploration webpage.
- All secondary Nurse Aide Training Programs operationally approved by SED’s Office of Career and Technical Education (CTE) may reduce the minimum number of hours required for supervised clinical experiences from 108 hours to 54 hours.
- The recording of the "Performance-Based Learning and Assessment in Middle & High School" hybrid webinar is available. The webinar was designed to provide New York State administrators and school leaders with an opportunity to engage in regional discussions about approaches to performance-based learning and assessment (PBLA) that support local implementation of NY Inspires and NYS’s Educational Assessment Strategy in middle and high school.
Submit your nomination for NYSSBA's Everett R. Dyer Award
Nominations for the NYSSBA Everett R. Dyer Award for Distinguished School Board Service are due by June 26. The award is presented annually to a current or former school board member in recognition of outstanding contributions to public education.
Read the latest national association news
Here’s the latest from the Consortium of State School Boards Associations (COSSBA) and the National School Boards Association (NSBA):
In closing this week, I would like to thank the Genesee Valley School Boards Association for inviting me to participate in their year-end event this week. It was my pleasure to join you and to be able to share the latest information from NYSSBA. I want to also express my gratitude to all the local SBAs and BOCES who have invited members of the NYSSBA team to their year-end events.
Be well and stay in touch.
Sincerely,
Robert S. Schneider CPA, CAE
Executive Director
New York State School Boards Association