State Assemblywoman Sandy Galef, D-Ossining, on Friday called on Gov. Andrew Cuomo to sign legislation that would allow the state’s 37 regional education agencies to contract with school districts across state lines.
The state’s Boards of Cooperative Educational Services are now prohibited from doing so, which has restricted the ability of the agencies to find new students for their broad array of services, which include special education, and vocational education.
Southern Westchester BOCES, for example, has wanted to develop a relationship with the public schools in Greenwich, Ct., which has shown interest in the agency’s culinary arts program. Others BOCES have been approached by out-of-state districts that want to purchase curriculum developed by BOCES.
“Our BOCES offer wonderful opportunity to share services with the goal of creating efficiencies for school districts and saving money for taxpayers,” said Galef. “We should be doing whatever possible to ease the burden on the local taxpayer and this legislation is one more step in that direction.”
