Assemblywoman Galef Applauds Passage of BOCES Capital Expenditure

Assemblywoman Sandy Galef is pleased to announce the passage of Assembly Bill 9825, which will ensure that students attending Boards of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES) programs are in safe and up-to-date buildings.

BOCES own and operate over 600 buildings throughout the state. Many of these buildings are old, outdated, and in critical need of capital upgrades. Often, these capital projects are in jeopardy because the law that enacted the 2011 tax cap did not address BOCES capital projects.

At this time, certain school district capital expenditures are not included in the tax cap. This allows these districts to move forward with proposed construction. However, even though BOCES gets all of its funding from its component districts, critical maintenance for BOCES buildings are included under the tax cap. As a result, a district that comprises a BOCES is faced with a tough decision about whether or not they can contribute to the BOCES capital project while still remaining within their tax cap levy. Some cannot, and as a result, important capital improvements and upgrades to BOCES buildings are in jeopardy.

“This is an important day for the over 100,000 students who attend educational programs in one New York State’s 37 BOCES. Ensuring the safety of our students must be our top priority - this legislation achieves this goal”, said Assemblywoman Sandy Galef. “By allowing these essential capital expenditures to be outside the tax cap, upon approval of the voters, we are rectifying this serious problem.”

Senator Terrance Murphy sponsored the Senate companion bill, S.7730, which passed last week. "BOCES has been providing programs and services for school districts for more than half a century. Their innovative, all-inclusive brand of high quality education deserves our continued support. This bill will help level the playing field financially for BOCES, providing them with the same capital expenditure exemptions as local school districts," said Murphy.

“I am delighted to see this bill pass in both the Assembly and Senate,” said Galef. “BOCES provides a valuable service to many students, enriching their lives academically and socially.”