Bill Text: NY S00053 | 2021-2022 | General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Relates to librarians of school libraries.
Spectrum: Moderate Partisan Bill (Democrat 7-1)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2022-01-05 - REFERRED TO LIBRARIES [S00053 Detail]
Download: New_York-2021-S00053-Introduced.html
STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 53 2021-2022 Regular Sessions IN SENATE (Prefiled) January 6, 2021 ___________ Introduced by Sens. KAPLAN, BROOKS, GOUNARDES, HARCKHAM, SERRANO, SKOUF- IS -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Education AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to librarians of school libraries; and to repeal certain provisions of such law relating ther- eto The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Section 275 of the education law is REPEALED and a new 2 section 275 is added to read as follows: 3 § 275. Librarians of school libraries. 1. Notwithstanding any other 4 provisions of law, and subject to the provisions of section two hundred 5 seventy-four of this part, and subdivision three of this section, each 6 school district in the state shall have and maintain a school library in 7 each elementary and secondary school in the district, and shall employ a 8 certified school library media specialist for each such school library 9 within three years of the effective date of this section. 10 2. Employment of certified school library media specialists shall be 11 in accordance with the following standards: 12 a. In each elementary or secondary school with an enrollment of not 13 more than one hundred pupils, a certified school library media special- 14 ist shall be employed as fifteen hundredths of a full-time equivalent 15 staff member; 16 b. In each elementary or secondary school with an enrollment of more 17 than one hundred but not more than three hundred pupils, a certified 18 school library media specialist shall be employed as a three-tenths of a 19 full-time equivalent staff member; 20 c. In each elementary or secondary school with an enrollment of more 21 than three hundred but no more than five hundred pupils, a certified EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [] is old law to be omitted. LBD00239-01-1S. 53 2 1 school library media specialist shall be employed as a one half of a 2 full-time equivalent staff member; 3 d. In each elementary or secondary school with an enrollment of more 4 than five hundred pupils, a certified school library media specialist 5 shall be employed as a full-time equivalent staff member; 6 e. (i) In each elementary or secondary school with an enrollment of 7 more than two thousand pupils, two certified school library media 8 specialists shall each be employed as a full-time equivalent staff 9 member; 10 (ii) An additional certified school library media specialist shall be 11 employed as a full-time equivalent staff member for each additional one 12 thousand pupils enrolled in an elementary or secondary school. 13 f. (i) In each elementary or secondary school with an enrollment of at 14 least one thousand pupils, a full-time equivalent staff member shall be 15 employed as a library clerk. 16 (ii) An additional full-time equivalent staff member shall be employed 17 as a library clerk for each additional one thousand pupils enrolled in 18 an elementary or secondary school. 19 3. The commissioner may, upon application by a school district, waive 20 the applicability of the provisions of subdivisions one and two of this 21 section for up to one year, if such application demonstrates the elemen- 22 tary or secondary school is within a designated shortage area for certi- 23 fied school library media specialists, and such application demonstrates 24 that an actual offer of employment was made to a certified school 25 library media specialist; however, no such waiver shall be granted for 26 more than two consecutive school years, and no more than two waivers may 27 be granted with a five year period. 28 § 2. This act shall take effect on the first of July next succeeding 29 the date on which it shall have become a law.