Section 1204. New York state center for rural schools established

1.
  Subject  to  the  availability  of  funds  appropriated,  allocated   or
  otherwise supplied from any other public or private source, the New York
  state center for rural schools is hereby established in order to provide
  a  state-level focus and forum for conducting and disseminating specific
  research and for developing policy recommendations targeted  toward  the
  improvement  of the effectiveness and efficiency of educational services
  delivery and opportunities in rural  New  York.  Such  center  shall  be
  established  within  the  college  of  agriculture  and life sciences at
  Cornell University, and function cooperatively with the rural  education
  advisory  committee  established  pursuant  to  the  provisions  of this
  article.
    2. The center, in cooperation with the committee, shall:
    (a) Promote awareness of special educational needs and  conditions  in
  rural areas;
    (b)  Promote  assessment  and  analysis  of such factors and variables
  impacting the quality of rural education as:
    (i) Existing statutory and regulatory measures;
    (ii) Current levels of federal, state and local support,  in  relation
  to  the  financial  capacity  of  school  districts to maintain required
  educational services;
    (iii) Academic and  occupational-training  opportunities  and  program
  offerings, including those which may serve the physically challenged;
    (iv)  Access  to state of the art technology in instruction, including
  telecommunications equipment and microcomputers;
    (v)  Academic  and  occupational  training  performance  testing   and
  standards;
    (vi)  Staffing,  including  salary  levels,  recruitment and retention
  incentives, and advanced training prospects;
    (vii) Career guidance, counseling and placement services;
    (viii) Capacity  of  school  districts  to  engage  in  strategic  and
  long-range planning;
    (ix)  Physical  condition  of  existing  facilities,  inventories  and
  infrastructure;
    (x) Transportation, including services rendered  pursuant  to  chapter
  five  hundred  ninety-eight of the laws of nineteen hundred eighty-nine;
  chapter eight hundred  ninety-five  of  the  laws  of  nineteen  hundred
  eighty-six as amended;
    (xi)  Geographic  sparsity  and  isolation,  particularly  in terms of
  travel distances for pupils and access to community resources;
    (xii) Availability and integration of community support services; and
    (xiii) Alternatives to reorganization  for  necessarily  small  school
  districts;
    (c)  Maintain  an  informational  repository/clearinghouse of data and
  research results including innovative and cost-effective  approaches  in
  rural   education,   and  disseminate  research  findings,  information,
  materials and best practices;
    (d) Encourage cost-effective, integrated services that address special
  needs and conditions in rural areas through joint efforts among  private
  and  public  institutions  and  agencies,  including  but not limited to
  colleges, community action agencies, social  services  agencies,  health
  agencies, employment and training agencies;
    (e)  Promote  training  and  technical  assistance  for  rural  school
  district  officials  and  employees  in  the   use   of   cost-effective
  instructional and administrative practices;
    (f)  Foster  demonstration  projects  and  development  of alternative
  models to enhance the delivery  of  academic  and  occupational-training
  services and programs specific to rural areas;

    (g)  Identify opportunities to advance equity in access and quality of
  educational and job  skills  training  for  residents  of  rural  areas,
  including such special target or "at risk" populations as:
    (1) illiterate adults,
    (2) single mothers,
    (3) individuals in poverty,
    (4) substance abusers, and
    (5) youthful offenders;
    (h)  Have  the  authority  to accept and receive any grants, awards or
  other funds or appropriations as may be made available to the center and
  committee to effect the purposes of this article.