The Boards of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES //) is a program of shared educational services provided to

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s by the

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History

BOCES owes its origin to a state legislative enactment authorizing the formation of intermediate

s. Passed in 1948, the act was aimed at enabling small rural school districts to combine their resources to provide services that otherwise would have been uneconomical, inefficient, or unavailable. BOCES was to be the temporary means by which careful transitions could be made to an intermediate district framework. Though its purposes were similar to those of the proposed intermediate districts, BOCES was conceived and written into the

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in its own separate sections (1950 and 1951). Simpler in structure and less autonomous than projected intermediate districts, the BOCES proved itself worthy of being both means and end. Not one intermediate district was ever formed, and cooperative boards proliferated rapidly, especially during the mid-1950s, reaching 82 by 1958. In 1972 the Intermediate School District Act was repealed.

s pertaining to BOCES, however, have remained on the books. Thus BOCES has developed from a special-purpose, interim agency into a formally recognized middle or intermediate unit in New York State's

public education A state school, public school, or government school is a primary school, primary or secondary school that educates all students without charge. They are funded in whole or in part by taxation and operated by the government of the state. State-f ...

system. There are currently 37 BOCES incorporating all but 9 of the 697 school districts in

New York State New York, also called New York State, is a state in the northeastern United States. Bordered by New England to the east, Canada to the north, and Pennsylvania and New Jersey to the south, its territory extends into both the Atlantic Ocean and ...

. Moreover, other states have moved toward regional educational configurations like BOCES. At least 30 state legislatures have mandated or passed legislation, as educational service agencies study the idea.

Membership

The total area under supervision of a district superintendent is called a supervisory district. BOCES membership is not available to the so-called ''Big Five'' city school districts:

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, Buffalo, Rochester,

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, and

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. Once a district has joined a BOCES, it cannot withdraw and is obligated to pay its annual share of administrative, rental, or facilities expenses. BOCES services are, however, optional. They may be purchased or not purchased as the district's

Board of Education A board of education, school committee or school board is the board of directors or board of trustees of a school, local school district or an equivalent institution. The elected council determines the educational policy in a small regional area, ...

(BOE) sees fit. The decision to purchase or not purchase BOCES services is made each school year by district BOEs.

Operations

BOCES services are created when two or more

s decide they have similar needs that can be met by a shared program. BOCES helps school districts save money by providing opportunities to pool resources and share costs. Sharing is an economical way for districts to provide programs and services that they might not be able to afford otherwise. It is often more efficient and less costly to operate one central service than it is to have separate programs in each

. BOCES services are often customized offering districts the flexibility to meet their individual needs. BOCES is governed just as local districts are governed by a

, which is made up of representatives from component districts. Board members are responsible for curricular, financial, and other policy decisions, just as they are at the local level. Members are elected by component school board members. BOCES board members do not need to be local school board members, but they must be eligible voters in component school districts of that BOCES. Election to BOCES boards occurs at an annual BOCES meeting, which by law is held in April. The duties and powers of BOCES boards, as specified in 1950 of the

of the

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, include the following: * Appointment of a district superintendent, subject to the approval of the Commissioner of Education; * Provision of cooperative educational services—with the commissioner's approval and on a contract basis—to component school districts; * Needs assessment and long-range planning for

cooperative A cooperative (also known as co-operative, coöperative, co-op, or coop) is "an autonomy, autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly owned a ...

education Education is the transmission of knowledge and skills and the development of character traits. Formal education occurs within a structured institutional framework, such as public schools, following a curriculum. Non-formal education als ...

al services in the supervisory district; * Employment of

teacher A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching. ''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. w ...

s and other support personnel to carry out BOCES programs; * Preparation of an adjustable

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for the supervisory district program and its administration; * Administration of payments for and costs of provided educational services; * Borrowing of money in anticipation of revenue due; * Entering into

contract A contract is an agreement that specifies certain legally enforceable rights and obligations pertaining to two or more parties. A contract typically involves consent to transfer of goods, services, money, or promise to transfer any of thos ...

s with a variety of public agencies as well as non-public schools in order to arrange or provide services under specified conditions; *

Renting Renting, also known as hiring or letting, is an agreement where a payment is made for the use of a good, service or property owned by another over a fixed period of time. To maintain such an agreement, a rental agreement (or lease) is sig ...

, purchasing, or selling of

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or facilities under specified conditions; * Making reports to the commissioner of education as required.

District Superintendent

A BOCES board appoints its own

chief executive officer A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization. CEOs find roles in variou ...

, contingent upon approval of the commissioner of education. As a BOCES executive, the district superintendent serves local districts and is responsible to the

board of education A board of education, school committee or school board is the board of directors or board of trustees of a school, local school district or an equivalent institution. The elected council determines the educational policy in a small regional area, ...

representing the component districts of the BOCES. The district superintendent also serves as a representative of the commissioner of education, providing educational

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to local school districts in matters of law, policy, and practice. Based on these responsibilities, the district superintendent has at least three important roles: * Educational change agent * Regional planner and coordinator * Field representative for the New York State Education Department, a consultative capacity designed to improve two-way communication between state and local levels

Services

Structure and procedures for providing services

The facilities, professional

personnel Employment is a relationship between two parties regulating the provision of paid labour services. Usually based on a contract, one party, the employer, which might be a corporation, a not-for-profit organization, a co-operative, or any othe ...

, and services of a BOCES are available to every local school district within the district superintendent's supervisory district. Because the BOCES board must develop its offerings to fulfill local demands and needs, levels of accountability and flexibility are maintained. Under New York State Education Law, a BOCES must furnish any educational service that is requested by two or more component districts and approved by the commissioner of education according to need and practicality in a regional context. By January of each year, the Boards of Education in component school districts specify their potential service needs for the following school year. These needs, developed by the BOCES into annual operating plans, are submitted to the New York State Education Department and the commissioner of education for approval. BOCES boards then notify component districts of the approved services, asking for a firm commitment to participate by May 1 of each year. The BOCES and the component districts then enter into formal contracts. Specified in each contract are the number and types of services to be furnished by the BOCES, the number of people to be served, and the amount to be paid to the BOCES. Signed by the BOCES and component board

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s, and then approved by the commissioner, these contracts are effective for one year, after which they may be renewed, changed, or canceled at the component districts' option. Because districts' needs change every year, decisions about BOCES services may also change every year. If the district doesn't need a BOCES service, it doesn't request it and it doesn't pay for it. Districts may also authorize multi-year service requests from BOCES.

Reasons for participation

Because BOCES services are shared by two or more

s, they often cost much less than if districts provided the services on their own. Districts pool their resources and share the savings. In addition,

gives a financial incentive to participate in shared services by offering school districts state aid for BOCES services. Here is how BOCES state aid works: :* Each district's Board of Education selects BOCES services for the current year. :* The following school year, a portion of the cost of BOCES services is returned to the district as BOCES aid. :* The amount returned is based on a formula that takes into account the districts' financial resources. :* Money not spent on a cooperative service is returned to the district at the end of each fiscal year by the BOCES.

Funding

A BOCES has no taxing authority. Instead, the sources of BOCES funds are primarily taxes levied by its component districts, state aid, and a relatively small amount of

federal aid A subsidy, subvention or government incentive is a type of government expenditure for individuals and households, as well as businesses with the aim of stabilizing the economy. It ensures that individuals and households are viable by having acce ...

. These funds support an administrative budget (covering administrative salaries, equipment, and services) and a program budget (covering other BOCES programs and services which districts select from the Service Directory, an annual listing of available services). In addition, BOCES may receive and manage funding from outside sources (e.g., state and federal) to cover special projects. The component district's share of BOCES administrative, lease and capital costs are based either on the Resident Weighted Average Daily Attendance (RWADA) or on real property valuation. Program costs are proportional to the amount of use each component district requires. Through BOCES state aid, component districts receive financial support for their participation in BOCES. The cost charged to a component district for its BOCES participation serves as the basis for the district's BOCES state aid.

Programs

The programs and services offered by each BOCES may vary somewhat, and are developed based on the needs of a given BOCES' local

s. A large percentage of BOCES programs and services are instructional; that is to say, they serve

student A student is a person enrolled in a school or other educational institution, or more generally, a person who takes a special interest in a subject. In the United Kingdom and most The Commonwealth, commonwealth countries, a "student" attends ...

s with

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programs and services. Examples of instructional programs are

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-technical programs for high school students, physical,

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and

occupational therapy Occupational therapy (OT), also known as ergotherapy, is a healthcare profession. Ergotherapy is derived from the Greek wiktionary:ergon, ergon which is allied to work, to act and to be active. Occupational therapy is based on the assumption t ...

for students with

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, and

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programs for adults. Often support staff are broken into on-site, related, or itinerant staff positions. Related personnel often support the program and are housed at the on-site location while Itinerant staff provide services to component districts on an individual or case-by-case basis. The remaining programs are called support services. They are not

programs, support services still relate to the

s, and because they help school districts save money. This frees up resources to better serve students directly. Examples of support services are staff development, central bus maintenance, central business offices, and Regional Information Centers. An example of programs that BOCES might offer are Academics Support, Auto Body Repair, Auto Technology, Aviation, Aviation Mechanical Technician, Building Maintenance, Business Computer Technology, Carpentry, Computer Repair and Networking, Cosmetology, Criminal Justice, Culinary Arts, Early Childhood Education, Electrical Wiring Technology, Forestry & Conservation, Gas/Diesel Mechanics, Life Skills, Medical Careers, New Vision Health, New Visions: Law & Government, Nursing Assistant, Practical Nursing, Small Animal Care, Welding, and Visual Communications.

External links

New York BOCES official siteWhat is BOCES?

References

{{Administrative divisions of New York Public education in New York (state) Local government in New York (state)

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

New York State Education Department