May 02, 2014 Super Tuesday: Two Election Day Issues
In anticipation of the upcoming Budget Vote and Board of Education Election, we wanted to address two sensitive and important issues....
Client Memos
April 18, 2014 Real Property Tax Freeze Credit: Adoption of a “Freeze-Compliant Budget”
KEEPING YOU INFORMED… The “Real Property Tax Freeze Credit,” a new tax credit available to eligible taxpayers residing in a municipality that adopts a “freeze-compliant budget,” was adopted as part of the 2014-2015 State Budget. Residents will be eligible to receive this tax credit in the...
April 09, 2014 Workplace Violence Prevention Program
The New York State Workplace Violence Prevention Act, enacted in 2006, requires public employers with at least 20 full-time permanent employees to develop and implement a written Workplace Violence Prevention Program, evaluate their workplaces to assess the risk of violence, and implement an annual training...
April 08, 2014 APPR Decision of the Nassau County Supreme Court
A recent decision of the Nassau County Supreme Court serves as an important reminder that school districts and BOCES must take into account the Annual Professional Performance Reviews (“APPR”) of their teachers and principals when making employment decisions. In Evans v. Board of Education...
April 08, 2014 APRIL: Sexual Assault Awareness Month
In 2009, President Barack Obama declared April to be Sexual Assault Awareness Month and requested that federal agencies develop policies to address domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault and stalking. Last year, the U.S. Department of Justice (“DOJ”) created a Policy Statement on Federal...
March 19, 2014 Top 10 Categories of Changes in the Final ACA Employer Share Responsibility Regulations
As we advised in our February 11, 2014 client memorandum, the United States Treasury Department issued final regulations regarding the Affordable Care Act’s (“the ACA”) employer shared responsibility provisions. This memorandum identifies the top 10 categories of changes most likely to affect you. ...
March 18, 2014 Limited NYSED Guidance Regarding Opt Out Procedures
The New York State Education Department (“the NYSED”) has issued the School Administrator’s Manual for the 2014 Grades 3-8 Common Core English Language Arts and Mathematics Tests (“the Manual”). The Manual sets forth the policies and procedures that are to be followed in order...
March 05, 2014 Labor and Employment Law Checklist
With winter soon coming to a close, this memorandum will provide you with a sample "Spring cleaning" checklist for auditing some best practices within your personnel/human resources department....
March 03, 2014 Adjustments to Common Core Implementation
The State Board of Regents’ P-12 Education and Higher Education Committees (“the Committees”) have adopted several reform measures that were recommended by a P-12 Education Committee Work Group regarding the implementation of the new Common Core Standards (“the Standards”). ...
February 25, 2014 ACA 90-Day Waiting Period
The Affordable Care Act (“the ACA”) established minimum standards for health insurance plans. One of those standards is prohibiting an individual who is otherwise eligible for health insurance coverage from waiting more than 90 days for coverage to become effective. This memorandum addresses...