STATE OF NEW YORK
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53
2021-2022 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE(Prefiled)
January 6, 2021
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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 Section 275 of the education law is REPEALED and a new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.
LBD00239-01-1
S. 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.
