N.Y. Education Law § 213: Extension of educational facilities

§ 213. Extension of educational facilities. 1. The regents may

extend to the people at large increased educational opportunities and

facilities, stimulate interest therein, recommend methods, designate

suitable teachers and lecturers, conduct examinations and grant

credentials, and otherwise organize, aid and conduct such work. And the

regents, and with their approval the commissioner of education, may buy,

sell, exchange and receive by will, or other gift, or on deposit, books,

pictures, statuary or other sculptured work, lantern slides, apparatus,

maps, globes, films, sound films, kinescopes, photographic recordings

and any article or collections pertaining to or useful in and to any of

the departments, divisions, schools, institutions, associations or other

agencies, or work, under their supervision, or control, or

encouragement, and may lend or deposit any such articles in their

custody or control, when or where in their judgement compensating

educational usefulness will result therefrom; and may also, from time to

time, enter into contracts desirable for carrying into effect the

foregoing provisions.

2. In carrying out the provisions of subdivision one of this section,

the regents may: a. Contract with institutions in the university,

school districts, boards of cooperative educational services or other

non-profit educational agencies for the acquisition from such

institutions, school districts, boards or agencies of sound films,

kinescopes, audio recordings and video recordings, scripts, research

reports or related educational television materials, for the use of the

department, or for the production of educational television programs:

b. Lease, to school districts, boards of cooperative educational

services or television corporations created pursuant to section two

hundred thirty-six of this chapter, educational television facilities,

including transmitters, micro-wave relay facilities, production centers,

closed-circuit systems and any equipment necessary therefor, constructed

or acquired, and owned by the state, leased by the state, or contract

with such districts, boards of cooperative educational services or

corporations for the operation of such facilities:

c. Lease and operate a television station in the city of New York.

3. For the purpose of carrying out the provisions of subdivision two

of this section, the regents may make rules or authorize the

commissioner to make regulations providing standards for research and

experimentation, operation and programming of educational television by

the state and the school districts, boards of cooperative educational

services, institutions, corporations and agencies, respectively.

4. In carrying out the provisions of subdivisions one and two of this

section and in order to encourage and stimulate the further development

and use of educational television in the state of New York and for the

purposes of providing educational services and facilities for pupils in

the public schools of the state of New York, the board of regents is

hereby authorized to make additional apportionments to school districts

or boards of cooperative educational services in accordance with the

provisions of this subdivision to encourage and assist such districts or

boards to install and operate a broadcast or closed-circuit television

system, or television receiving equipment for the improvement of

classroom instruction.

a. Any school district or board of cooperative educational services

planning to establish such a program shall submit to the commissioner of

education on or before the first day of May of the school year preceding

the school year during which the program is to be conducted an

application, together with such information as the commissioner of

education shall require, including at least a complete statement of

purposes of the program, the detailed procedures of operation, a

detailed estimate of the cost of such program and a complete description

of the installation and equipment to be installed and the detailed

procedures of evaluations to be used in determining the improvement of

classroom instruction.

b. The commissioner of education shall establish procedures for

evaluations of such programs. One such program for each school district

or board of cooperative educational services may be approved by the

commissioner of education, and any program so approved by the

commissioner of education shall be placed on a list in accordance with

the educational merit and value of the program, and the date of receipt

of the application, where several programs are evaluated as having equal

merit and value.

c. Apportionment shall then be made in accordance with the formula

contained in paragraph d of this subdivision, in the order of such

programs on the list established in accordance with paragraph b of this

subdivision within the amount of the appropriation therefor.

d. Any district or board which proposes to install and operate a

broadcast or closed-circuit television system or television receiving

equipment for the improvement of classroom instruction, in accordance

with a program approved as provided in this subdivision and to the

extent that funds are available pursuant to this subdivision, shall be

entitled to an apportionment during the five-year period following the

approval of the program as follows:

Fifty per cent of the approved cost relative to the acquisition and

installation of the equipment, and during the first year fifty per cent

of the approved operational expenses in connection with the approved

operation of the program; during the second year forty per cent of the

approved operational expenses in connection with the approved operation

of the program; during the third year thirty per cent of the approved

operational expenses in connection with the approved operation of the

program; during the fourth year twenty per cent of the approved

operational expenses in connection with the approved operation of the

program; and during the fifth year ten per cent of the approved

operational expenses in connection with the approved operation of the

program.

5. A school district or a board of cooperative educational services

is hereby authorized and empowered to do and perform any and all acts

necessary or convenient to enable it to carry out the provisions of this

section.

6. The regents are authorized to make grants of money, materials and

equipment for the purpose of promoting the erection and use of

educational television facilities by educational television corporations

established pursuant to the provisions of section two hundred thirty-six

of this chapter. Such grants may be made upon such terms and conditions

as the regents may prescribe.