§ 1204 — New York state center for rural schools established

§ 1204. New York state center for rural schools established. 1.\nSubject to the availability of funds appropriated, allocated or\notherwise supplied from any other public or private source, the New York\nstate center for rural schools is hereby established in order to provide\na state-level focus and forum for conducting and disseminating specific\nresearch and for developing policy recommendations targeted toward the\nimprovement of the effectiveness and efficiency of educational services\ndelivery and opportunities in rural New York. Such center shall be\nestablished within the college of agriculture and life sciences at\nCornell University, and function cooperatively with the rural education\nadvisory committee established pursuant to the provisions of this\narticle.\n 2. The center, in cooperation with the committee, shall:\n (a) Promote awareness of special educational needs and conditions in\nrural areas;\n (b) Promote assessment and analysis of such factors and variables\nimpacting the quality of rural education as:\n (i) Existing statutory and regulatory measures;\n (ii) Current levels of federal, state and local support, in relation\nto the financial capacity of school districts to maintain required\neducational services;\n (iii) Academic and occupational-training opportunities and program\nofferings, including those which may serve the physically challenged;\n (iv) Access to state of the art technology in instruction, including\ntelecommunications equipment and microcomputers;\n (v) Academic and occupational training performance testing and\nstandards;\n (vi) Staffing, including salary levels, recruitment and retention\nincentives, and advanced training prospects;\n (vii) Career guidance, counseling and placement services;\n (viii) Capacity of school districts to engage in strategic and\nlong-range planning;\n (ix) Physical condition of existing facilities, inventories and\ninfrastructure;\n (x) Transportation, including services rendered pursuant to chapter\nfive hundred ninety-eight of the laws of nineteen hundred eighty-nine;\nchapter eight hundred ninety-five of the laws of nineteen hundred\neighty-six as amended;\n (xi) Geographic sparsity and isolation, particularly in terms of\ntravel distances for pupils and access to community resources;\n (xii) Availability and integration of community support services; and\n (xiii) Alternatives to reorganization for necessarily small school\ndistricts;\n (c) Maintain an informational repository/clearinghouse of data and\nresearch results including innovative and cost-effective approaches in\nrural education, and disseminate research findings, information,\nmaterials and best practices;\n (d) Encourage cost-effective, integrated services that address special\nneeds and conditions in rural areas through joint efforts among private\nand public institutions and agencies, including but not limited to\ncolleges, community action agencies, social services agencies, health\nagencies, employment and training agencies;\n (e) Promote training and technical assistance for rural school\ndistrict officials and employees in the use of cost-effective\ninstructional and administrative practices;\n (f) Foster demonstration projects and development of alternative\nmodels to enhance the delivery of academic and occupational-training\nservices and programs specific to rural areas;\n (g) Identify opportunities to advance equity in access and quality of\neducational and job skills training for residents of rural areas,\nincluding such special target or "at risk" populations as:\n (1) illiterate adults,\n (2) single mothers,\n (3) individuals in poverty,\n (4) substance abusers, and\n (5) youthful offenders;\n (h) Have the authority to accept and receive any grants, awards or\nother funds or appropriations as may be made available to the center and\ncommittee to effect the purposes of this article.\n