N.Y. Education Law § 605-a: Scholarships for academic excellence

§ 605-a. Scholarships for academic excellence. 1. (a) Beginning with

the nineteen hundred ninety-seven--ninety-eight academic year and

thereafter, scholarships for academic excellence shall be awarded to

students completing their high school programs for attendance in

approved programs. The academic merit criteria for awarding these

scholarships will be determined by taking the weighted average of a

student's score on Regents examinations taken by students prior to their

senior year in all of the following five subject areas: comprehensive

English; global studies; U.S. history/government; level 3 math; and

science, which shall consist of the weighted average of the combination

of exams taken in chemistry, biology, earth science and physics. For

those schools not offering regents examinations in all such five subject

areas, awards shall be based on criteria developed by the commissioner

and subject to the approval of the director of the budget.

(b) School allocation. (i) Each high school in the state, as defined

in regulations of the commissioner adopted for such purpose and subject

to the approval of the director of the budget, shall be allocated: for

the nineteen hundred ninety-seven--ninety-eight academic year, a single

scholarship of one thousand dollars; and for the nineteen hundred

ninety-eight--ninety-nine academic year and thereafter, a single

scholarship of one thousand five hundred dollars which shall be awarded

to the top scholar of such school as determined by the academic merit

criteria set forth in paragraph (a) of this subdivision.

(ii) The remaining scholarships for the nineteen hundred

ninety-seven--ninety-eight academic year of one thousand dollars, and

for the nineteen hundred ninety-eight--ninety-nine academic year and

thereafter, of one thousand five hundred dollars shall be allocated to

high schools in the state as defined in regulations of the commissioner

for such purpose and subject to the approval of the director of the

budget, in the same ratio that the number of students enrolled in the

twelfth grade at such high school in the prior school year bears to the

total number of students who were enrolled in the twelfth grade in the

state during the prior school year. The ratio shall be multiplied by the

number of scholarships available and the results, rounded to the nearest

whole number, shall be the number of scholarships allocated to the

school. Such awards shall be distributed on the basis of the academic

merit criteria as set forth in paragraph (a) of this subdivision.

(iii) All scholarships of five hundred dollars shall be allocated in

the same manner as described in subparagraph (ii) of this paragraph.

2. In the event that a scholarship awarded is declined by a student,

or for any reason revoked by the commissioner or the president, its

benefits shall lapse and there shall be no further payments or awarding

of such scholarship; provided however, if an award is declined by a

student prior to the end of their high school program, the scholarship

shall be awarded, to the extent practicable, to the next most qualified

student pursuant to paragraph (a) of subdivision one of this section.