New York State Education Department Bureau of Apportionment Register of School District Establishment, Consolidation, and Centralization B0494

New York State Education Department Bureau of Apportionment Register of School District Establishment, Consolidation, and Centralization

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Overview of the Records

Repository:

New York State Archives
New York State Education Department
Cultural Education Center
Albany, NY 12230

Summary:

These school district registers include district numbers, names, and dates of organization for union free, town, consolidated, central high school and central rural school districts. This information was compiled after a fire in the State Capitol destroyed many school district records in 1911. Not all union free schools established before 1911 are included.

Creator:

New York (State). Central New York Developmental Disabilities Services Office

Title:

Quantity:

0.5 cubic feet

2 volumes

Inclusive Dates:

circa 1859-1954

Series Number:

B0494

Arrangement

Alphabetical by county, thereunder by type of school district (union free, town consolidated/ central), then roughly chronological by date of action.

Administrative History

The formation of union free schools, public secondary schools supported solely by local taxes and state financial aid, was authorized in 1853 (Chapter 433). In 1917 the Township School Law (Chapter 328) transferred the duties of school district trustees and boards of education (except union free school districts having populations over 1500 and school districts in towns adjoining cities of one million or more inhabitants) to newly created town boards of education.

The Township School Law was repealed in 1918 (Chapter 199) and all pre-existing school districts restored. School commissioners (district superintendents after 1912) were authorized to issue orders consolidating school districts in the first consolidated Education Law in 1909 (Chapter 21) as generally amended in 1910 (Chapter 410). Legislation authorizing the establishment of "central rural schools" was adopted in 1914 (Chapter 55), but only one centralization occurred before 1925 when the legislation authorized additional financial aid for these districts (Chapter 674). The establishment of central high schools was authorized in 1917 (Chapter 137).

The Statistics Section became the Statistics Bureau in 1923 and was transferred from the Administration Division to the Finance Division in 1928. In 1938 the statistical collection and financial aid apportionment functions of the Bureau were separated into two new bureaus-- Statistical Services and Apportionment, respectively.

Scope and Content Note

This volume contains information on the formation of several kinds of school districts (union free, town, consolidated, central) and lists the establishment dates of vocational education and extension boards (VEEB) and boards of cooperative educational services (BOCES). This volume was probably used by the Bureau of Apportionment until 1954. It is unclear how the volume came to the Bureau of School District Organization.

Information for union free districts includes district number, name of town date of meeting to organize the district, and number of school board members. Not all districts are included. Information for town districts includes school unit number, name of town, and members of the school districts included in the town school unit.

Information for consolidated and central districts includes school district numbers of districts being consolidated or centralized; town(s); date of consolidation or dates central district was laid out by commissioner of education, organizing meeting held, and central district designated by commissioner of education; and name of number of new district. Many entries are annotated to indicate subsequent changes in district organization.

Dates of establishment are given for vocational education extension boards (VEEB) and BOCES.

Alternate Formats Available

B0494-15: Consists of a photocopy, possibly incomplete, of the original register.

Microfilm is available at the New York State Archives.

Microfilm: 1 reel; 35 mm.

Custodial History

This volume was probably compiled by the Statistics Section in the Administration Division beginning shortly after a fire in the State Capitol in 1911 destroyed all of the state's school district records. The state attempted to reconstruct the pre-1911 files relating to the formation of union free school districts (see series B0554-82, School District and Vocation Education and Extension Boards Establishment and Alteration Legal Files). The fragmentary information collected was summarized in this volume.