Bill Text: NY A02444 | 2019-2020 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Relates to librarians of school libraries.

Spectrum: Strong Partisan Bill (Democrat 10-1)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2020-01-08 - referred to education [A02444 Detail]

Download: New_York-2019-A02444-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
                                          2444
                               2019-2020 Regular Sessions
                   IN ASSEMBLY
                                    January 22, 2019
                                       ___________
        Introduced  by M. of A. SOLAGES -- read once and referred to the Commit-
          tee 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 Section 275 of the education law  is  REPEALED  and  a  new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
    22  school  library  media  specialist  shall be employed as a one half of a
    23  full-time equivalent staff member;
         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD04251-01-9
        A. 2444                             2
     1    d. In each elementary or secondary school with an enrollment  of  more
     2  than  five  hundred  pupils, a certified school library media specialist
     3  shall be employed as a full-time equivalent staff member;
     4    e.  (i)  In  each elementary or secondary school with an enrollment of
     5  more than two  thousand  pupils,  two  certified  school  library  media
     6  specialists  shall  each  be  employed  as  a full-time equivalent staff
     7  member;
     8    (ii) An additional certified school library media specialist shall  be
     9  employed  as a full-time equivalent staff member for each additional one
    10  thousand pupils enrolled in an elementary or secondary school.
    11    f. (i) In each elementary or secondary school with an enrollment of at
    12  least one thousand pupils, a full-time equivalent staff member shall  be
    13  employed as a library clerk.
    14    (ii) An additional full-time equivalent staff member shall be employed
    15  as  a  library clerk for each additional one thousand pupils enrolled in
    16  an elementary or secondary school.
    17    3. The commissioner may, upon application by a school district,  waive
    18  the  applicability of the provisions of subdivisions one and two of this
    19  section for up to one year, if such application demonstrates the elemen-
    20  tary or secondary school is within a designated shortage area for certi-
    21  fied school library media specialists, and such application demonstrates
    22  that an actual offer of  employment  was  made  to  a  certified  school
    23  library  media  specialist; however, no such waiver shall be granted for
    24  more than two consecutive school years, and no more than two waivers may
    25  be granted with a five year period.
    26    § 2. This act shall take effect on the first of July  next  succeeding
    27  the date on which it shall have become a law.