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New York State Education Dept. Bureau of School District Organization District Superintendent County Files Relating to Appointments and Organization Orders


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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:
This series documents the appointment of superintendents of supervisory districts and their official relations with the Education Department. "County Files" include copies of the commissioner's orders confirming appointments, and related correspondence; and background correspondence with superintendents pertaining to centralizations, school district boundary alterations, and redistricting of supervisory districts. More recent files may sometimes contain detailed studies of school district boundary changes, including maps.
Creator:
Title:
District superintendent county files relating to appointments and organization orders
Quantity:

1.25 cubic feet

Inclusive Dates:
1973-1979
Bulk Dates:
1975-1979
Series Number:
15671
Sponsor:
This series' description was enhanced as part of the States' Impact on Federal Education Policy Project (SIFEPP), in October 2010. The New York Community Trust - Wallace Special Projects Fund provided funding for this project.

Arrangement

Arranged into two subseries: 1. Files related to school district boundary adjustments, 2. County files.

Administrative History

The consolidation of small rural school districts into larger central school districts was first enacted into law in Chapter 55 of the Laws of 1914, which provided for the formation of "Central Rural Schools." The first rural central school district was created in 1924. In 1925, the Cole-Rice Law (Chapter 673 of the Laws of 1925) was enacted, which provided state financial aid for transportation and school construction in order to encourage rural school districts to consolidate. The pace of centralization increased in the 1930's, but the process of centralization was criticized as piecemeal by the Regents' Inquiry into the Character and Cost of Public Education in 1938. In response, the Bureau of Rural Administrative Services was created in 1943 to facilitate the process of school district centralization, and a Master Plan for School District Reorganization was created by the Joint Legislative Committee on the State Education System in 1947. The Bureau of Rural Administrative Services was renamed the Bureau of School District Organization in 1964. By 1959, the number of school districts in New York State had fallen to under 2,000, down from around 10,000 in 1925. Overall, the movement toward centralized school districts was reflective of a national trend towards greater involvement by state governments and state education agencies in the administration and funding of public schools.

The Education Department has responsibility for supervising all educational institutions in the state and the Commissioner of Education exercises a quasi-judicial authority by which he may review actions of local school boards and officials. Applications for forming central school districts are reviewed by the State Education Department, and the orders laying out such districts are issued by the Commissioner of Education.

Scope and Content Note

This series documents the appointment of superintendents of supervisory districts and their official relations with the Education Department. "County Files" include copies of the commissioner's orders confirming appointments, and related correspondence; and background correspondence with superintendents pertaining to centralizations, school district boundary alterations, and redistricting of supervisory districts. More recent files may sometimes contain detailed studies of school district boundary changes, including maps.

Related Material

B1104 School district centralization files

B0472 School district centralization and reorganization files

B0476 Certification files regarding State aid and Reorganization

15672 School district centralization and reorganization files document the district reorganization process

B0477 Bureau of School District Organization subject and administrative files

B0314 Office of District Organization and District Superintendents subject files document the daily operation of NYSED offices responsible for district reorganization

B0482 County district administration and supervision files

11121 Correspondence with district superintendents documents the department's interaction with district superintendents.

Access Restrictions

There are no restrictions regarding access to or use of the material.

Access Terms

Corporate Name(s):
Geographic Name(s):
Subject(s):

Detailed Description

Subseries 1: Files related to school district boundary adjustments

Dates:
1976-1979
Physical Description:
0.25 cubic feet of textual records

Scope and Content Note:

This subseries contains copies of orders from district superintendents to redraw school district lines, along with maps showing the new boundaries and lists of properties to be transferred between districts.

Arrangement:

Chronologically

  

Dates Contents

Accretion: 15671-99
1976 April Bloomfield CSD and Honeoye Falls-Lima CSD, Ontario Co., April 6, 1976
1976 May-June Lowville Academy and CSD, Lewis Co., and South Jefferson CSD, Jefferson Co., May 1, 1976
1977 January-February Lake George CSD and Queensbury UFSD, Warren Co., February 4, 1977
1977 May Comsewogue UFSD and Mt. Sinai UFSD, Suffolk Co., May 4, 1977
1977 June-July Stamford CSD and South Kortright CSD, Delaware Co., June 10, 1977
1977 August-September Fort Plain CSD, Montgomery Co., and Springfield CSD, Otsego Co., August 15, 1977
1978 January-1979 February Sherill City SD, Madison Co., and Clinton CSD, Oneida Co., February 6, 1978
1978 April Lowville CSD and South Lewis CSD, Lewis Co., May 1, 1978
1978 September-1979 January Syosset CSD and South Huntington UFSD, Suffolk Co., September 22, 1978
1979 April Berne-Knox-Westerlo CSD, Albany Co., and Duanesburg CSD, Schenectady Co., April 12, 1979
1979 March-July Cato-Meridian CSD and Weedsport CSD, Cayuga Co., July 17, 1979
1979 November-December Dover UFSD and Pawling CSD, Dutchess Co., August 28, 1979

Subseries 2: County files

Dates:
1973-1979, 1975-1979
Physical Description:
0.5 cubic feet of textual records

Scope and Content Note:

This subseries includes records documenting the redrawing of school district boundaries, the appointment of district superintendents, and the relations between district superintendents and NYSED. Included are copies of the Commissioner of Education's orders confirming appointments of district superintendents, along with related correspondence. Also present are clippings, petitions and correspondence with superintendents and other constituencies (civic groups, teachers unions, individual citizens, etc.) pertaining to centralizations, school district boundary alterations, and redistricting of supervisory districts.

Arrangement:

Alphabetical by county

  

Dates Contents

Accretion: 15671-99
1977 April-1978 December Albany County
1975 November-1977 July Allegany County
1979 October Broome County
1979 May-July Cattaraugus County
1976 September Cayuga County
1976 August-1978 May Chautauqua County
1977 April Chemung County
1976 March-1979 November Chenango County
1976 March-1978 July Clinton County
1975 March-1979 April Cortland County
1975 April-1979 June Dutchess County
1975 May-1979 April Erie County
1977 January-1979 May Franklin County
1975 November-1978 July Genesee County
1976 May-August Jefferson County
1976 September-1978 November Madison County
1976 March-1977 November Monroe County
1977 September-1978 April Montgomery County
1975 February-1979 November Nassau County
1976 December-1979 May Niagara County
1976 January-1979 December Oneida County
1975 January-1979 August Onondaga County
1974 December-1975 November Ontario County
1975 May-1979 August Orange County
1975 May-1979 December Orleans County
1975 January-1977 April Oswego County
1975 January-1978 July Putnam County
1976 March-1979 October Rensselaer County
1975 June-1978 July Rockland County
1975 January-1979 February St. Lawrence County
1973 September-1978 April Saratoga County
1975 October-1979 August Schenectady County
1975 January-1979 October Seneca County
1975 October-1978 December Steuben County
1977 January-1979 November Suffolk County (1 of 2)
1975 January-1976 November Suffolk County (2 of 2)
1975 March-October Sullivan County
1976 February-1979 August Tompkins County
1975 June-1979 May Ulster County
1975 January-1976 October Warren County
1975 April-1979 February Westchester County