S 1495 New York Senate · 2025 Regular Session

Relates to school aid for transportation of children attending a universal pre-kindergarten program; repealer

This bill allows school districts to provide additional bus transportation for students in universal pre-K programs beyond what's already funded. Districts may offer this extra transportation equally to all pre-K children in similar circumstances within their boundaries, with the district covering the costs. Crucially, this transportation will not count toward state funding calculations for those students, meaning districts bear the full expense without receiving state aid for it. The policy applies starting with the 2027-2028 school year.

Issues: ✓ Education

Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared

Introduction

Jan 2025

Committee Review

Floor Vote

Governor

Introduced Jan 10, 2025 Last action May 19, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

S1495 → S1495A · 4 edits

MODERATE

This bill amends the Education Law to clarify and expand school transportation funding rules, specifically ensuring that costs for transporting children to universal pre-kindergarten programs are treated as district charges rather than eligible for state aid. It also updates distance thresholds for mandatory transportation and adds provisions for before-and-after-school care transport.

Scope change

The bill shifts the legal framework from allowing districts to optionally provide pre-K transport (with ambiguous funding rules) to mandating specific funding treatment and distance standards for pre-K and other students.

FISCAL

Changed the funding mechanism for universal pre-kindergarten transportation from a discretionary district expense to a charge upon the district, removing ambiguity about whether costs count as allowable pupils for state aid calculations.

REQUIREMENT

Updated the distance threshold for mandatory transportation for grades nine through twelve from two miles to three miles, while maintaining the fifteen-mile maximum for funded transport.

SCOPE

Added new provisions allowing districts to provide transportation between schools and before-and-after-school child care locations for pre-K and elementary students, provided the distance exceeds two miles.

ELIGIBILITY

Explicitly included children attending universal pre-kindergarten programs in the existing transportation mandates for grades K-8 and 9-12.

Floor votes

How they voted

No floor votes recorded yet.

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Amendments

May 19, 2026

Upper · Passed

PRINT NUMBER 1495A

upper

May 19, 2026

Upper · Passed

AMEND (T) AND RECOMMIT TO EDUCATION

upper

Jan 7, 2026

Committee

REFERRED TO EDUCATION

upper

Jan 10, 2025

Committee

REFERRED TO EDUCATION

upper

1 primary · 1 co-sponsor