Contracts For Excellence In Place In 39 School Districts

The New York State Education Department announced today the approval of the Contract for Excellence between the Department and the New York City Department of Education (NYCDOE).  All 39 school districts in the state required to develop a Contract for Excellence are now operating with an approved Contract for the 2008-09 school year. $485M in Contract for Excellence (C4E) funds are being used by these districts to target resources to students with the greatest educational needs.

The New York City Contract responds to the conditions set forth by the Board of Regents following monitoring of their 2007-08 Contract. For 2008-09, the portion of New York City’s Foundation Aid that is subject to C4E requirements is $387.5 million; it was $257.8 million in 2007-08. The Contract furthers the commitment on the part of NYCDOE to reduce class size and direct new funding specifically toward children with the greatest needs.

The NYCDOE is taking a three-pronged approach in the distribution of its C4E funding. First, they are releasing funds directly to schools to spend on allowable programs aimed at meeting the specific requirements of high need students. Second, they are distributing funds to schools for strategic program initiatives that meet C4E eligibility standards.  Third, they are investing in district-wide programs targeted at the highest need schools and students.

District-wide programs include principal training; an English Language Learner (ELL) success program; a middle school improvement program; and a "multiple pathways to graduation" program.  The NYCDOE is spending $149.5 million on class size reduction and $107.6 million on increased time on task for students.  They are spending $68 million on teacher and principal quality initiatives, $36 million on middle school/high school restructuring, $4.9 million on full-day pre-kindergarten and kindergarten programs and $21.5 million to implement model programs for English Language Learners. The chart, below, summarizes these expenditures.                                                                                                                                         

As part of its C4E contract, NYCDOE has allocated more than $149 million to support the second year of its class size reduction plan.  NYCDOE's Contract calls for C4E funding to pay for nearly 1,600 teaching positions to further reduce class sizes and pupil to teacher ratios. C4E funds are being used to support a significant expansion of New York City's Collaborative Team Teaching program (CTT).  CTT is an inclusive model in which two teachers provide the benefit of lower pupil to teacher ratios to both special education and general education students in the same classroom.

The New York State Education Department will continue to monitor the implementation of Contracts for Excellence in all districts where they are required.

Details regarding the thirty-nine 2008-09 Contracts for Excellence currently in place are on the web:

     http://eservices.nysed.gov/c4e-public/actions/approvedDistricts.do

Prior news releases regarding C4E contracts this year are on the web:

     http://www.oms.nysed.gov/press/ContractsforExcellenceRound2.htm

     http://www.oms.nysed.gov/press/C4ERelease.10-2-08.FINAL.htm