NY S07921

Establishes two new state grant programs: Early College High School (ECHS) and Pathways in Technology Early College High School (P-TECH) to serve academically at-risk and economically disadvantaged students.

ECHS programs provide eligible high school students with college-level courses leading to at least 24 college credits and up to a post-secondary degree at no cost, through partnerships between school districts and not-for-profit higher education institutions.

P-TECH programs combine six years of high school, college, and career training in fields like technology, engineering, manufacturing, healthcare, and finance, with participating employers committing to hire successful program completers.

Appropriates $35 million total: $13 million for ECHS grants and $23 million for P-TECH grants to cover staffing, student recruitment, professional development, transportation, tuition, books, and equipment.

Establishes five-year funding cycles for ECHS programs (starting 2016-2017) and seven-year cycles for P-TECH programs (starting 2020-2021), with priority given to previously funded programs demonstrating successful student outcomes.