New York Assembly Bill A08682

New York 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 5/29/25
• Refer: 5/29/25
• Report Pass: 6/11/25
• Refer: 6/11/25
• Report Pass: 6/12/25

Caption

Relates to property used by the Greenburgh North Castle Union Free School District number 12 and authorizes such school district to affiliate with Rising Ground, Inc.

Summary

A08682 amends a 1969 special act governing the Greenburgh North Castle Union Free School District No. 12 in Westchester County. The bill updates the district’s territorial and operational provisions so the district may continue to operate beyond the 2024-2025 school year and use specified leased or owned properties for instruction, including sites in Westchester, Dutchess, Orange, and potentially Bronx counties. It also removes outdated language tied to a prior property arrangement and clarifies that the Orange County site at 623 Blooming Grove Turnpike must be discontinued on or about June 30, 2025. The bill further authorizes the district to affiliate with Rising Ground, Inc., a child care institution, in addition to preserving the existing framework for affiliation with other child care institutions under state approval. If the affiliation occurs, the district’s board structure would be adjusted to include members elected by the affiliated institution’s board and two public members, and student education responsibilities would continue to be governed by Article 81 of the Education Law. The bill takes effect July 1, 2025, or when the relevant Orange County lease expires, whichever comes first, and requires notice to the legislative bill drafting commission so the state’s official law database can be updated. Its legal impact is narrow but significant for the district: it amends a special act rather than the general Education Law, and it directly affects the district’s authority to occupy facilities, affiliate with child care providers, and organize its board governance. It also repeals subdivision b of section 5 of chapter 118 of the laws of 1969, eliminating the prior restriction that limited affiliation to St. Christopher’s School, Inc. and replacing it with broader authority to affiliate with Rising Ground, Inc. subject to state approvals from the Education Department and the Office of Children and Family Services. The available voting history suggests strong support and little opposition, with unanimous favorable votes in the Assembly Ways and Means Committee and the Assembly Rules Committee. No committee transcript is provided, but the bill’s progression indicates it was treated as a routine but important technical and programmatic update for the district’s facilities and institutional affiliation. There is little evidence of substantive controversy in the materials provided. The main points of potential contention are administrative rather than ideological: which properties the district may use, whether the New Windsor site should remain in service through the transition period, and whether the district should be permitted to affiliate with Rising Ground, Inc. instead of being tied to a single named institution. The bill appears designed to preserve educational services for students placed in residential treatment settings while updating the district’s statutory framework to reflect current operations.

Impact

This bill amends a special act governing the Greenburgh North Castle Union Free School District No. 12, expanding and updating the district’s authority over facilities, territorial coverage, and institutional affiliation. It authorizes use of additional leased or owned properties associated with Rising Ground, Inc. and repeals the prior restriction limiting affiliation to St. Christopher’s School, Inc., while preserving state approval requirements and Article 81 governance for students placed in affiliated child care institutions.

Sentiment

The bill appears to have broad procedural support and little visible opposition. It passed the Assembly Ways and Means Committee 34-0 and the Assembly Rules Committee 29-0, suggesting a favorable view of the measure as a necessary update to the district’s operating authority and facility arrangements.

Contention

The main issues are practical and localized: whether the district should be allowed to continue using multiple facilities across several counties, whether the New Windsor property should be phased out on the stated timeline, and whether the district should be permitted to affiliate with Rising Ground, Inc. rather than remain tied to the previously named institution. Any concern would likely come from stakeholders focused on facility use, governance structure, or the scope of state approval, rather than from broader policy disagreement.