NY State Senate Bill 2015-S3931

Senate Bill S3931

2015-2016 Legislative Session

Relates to librarian staffing in public schools

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Archive: Last Bill Status - In Senate Committee Education Committee

Introduced
- In Committee Assembly
- In Committee Senate
- On Floor Calendar Assembly
- On Floor Calendar Senate
- Passed Assembly
- Passed Senate
Delivered to Governor
Signed By Governor

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Actions

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	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
Jan 06, 2016	referred to education
Feb 23, 2015	referred to education

co-Sponsors

2015-S3931 (ACTIVE) - Details

See Assembly Version of this Bill:: A6784
Current Committee:: Senate Education
Law Section:: Education Law
Laws Affected:: Rpld & add §275, Ed L
Versions Introduced in Other Legislative Sessions:: 2017-2018: A6023
2019-2020: A2444
2021-2022: A5055
2023-2024: A5232

2015-S3931 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Relates to librarian staffing in public schools.

2015-S3931 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                BILL NUMBER:S3931

TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the education law, in relation to librarians of school
libraries; and to repeal certain provisions of such law relating
thereto

PURPOSE:

To ensure that each elementary and secondary school in New York State
maintains a school library and employs a certified school librarian.

SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

This bill repeals Section 275 and adds a new section 275 of the
Education Law to require all school districts to maintain a school
library in each elementary and secondary school and to employ a
certified school library media specialist for each such school
library. The bill also provides a waiver process that can be used by
districts that fall within a designated shortage area for library
media specialists.

JUSTIFICATION:

School libraries are an integral part of the educational program. They

support and complement all phases of the formal instructional program
in the various areas of the curriculum, and enrich each student's
life. For many, the school library is the first introduction the
student has to any library facility. Because of this unique aspect,
the school library will be the only place the student can learn the
proper usage of a library and its valuable resources.

An adequate, comprehensive school library program is essential in
providing quality education for all students in today's modem and
progressive society. The library, therefore, becomes that place where
the student can reinforce language and reading skills, become aware of
how to retrieve and evaluate background reference materials and learn
to think and act as an independent individual to gain the necessary
information to attain intellectual maturity.

It is of utmost importance that a school library be staffed by
competent professionally trained personnel who are certified or
licensed in their area of responsibility. The librarian should be a
professional trained to look at and work for a total school program.
The librarian should be professionally astute to be able to select and
acquire those materials which will assist each student to reach out
for his or her intellectual potential and to be able to achieve a
wide, unencumbered view of the world and how the student can best fit
into it. Only a competent certified or licensed librarian can add that
dimension to a child's life.

If maintaining a school library would place an extreme financial
burden on a district, the waiver provision allows the district to
explore alternative ways to meet the needs of their students through a
sharing arrangement with a public library. The waiver process is also
available if there is a shortage locally of library media specialists.


FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

To be determined.

EFFECTIVE DATE:

The first day of July next succeeding the date on which it shall have
become law.

2015-S3931 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                            
                    S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
________________________________________________________________________

                                  3931

                       2015-2016 Regular Sessions

                            I N  S E N A T E

                            February 23, 2015
                               ___________

Introduced  by  Sen.  FARLEY -- 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:

  Section 1. Section 275 of the education law  is  REPEALED  and  a  new
section 275 is added to read as follows:
  S  275.  LIBRARIANS  OF SCHOOL LIBRARIES. 1. NOTWITHSTANDING ANY OTHER
PROVISIONS OF LAW, AND SUBJECT TO THE PROVISIONS OF SECTION TWO  HUNDRED
SEVENTY-FOUR  OF  THIS PART, AND SUBDIVISION THREE OF THIS SECTION, EACH
SCHOOL DISTRICT IN THE STATE SHALL HAVE AND MAINTAIN A SCHOOL LIBRARY IN
EACH ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY SCHOOL IN THE DISTRICT, AND SHALL EMPLOY A
CERTIFIED SCHOOL LIBRARY MEDIA SPECIALIST FOR EACH SUCH  SCHOOL  LIBRARY
WITHIN THREE YEARS OF THE EFFECTIVE DATE OF THIS SECTION.
  2.  EMPLOYMENT  OF CERTIFIED SCHOOL LIBRARY MEDIA SPECIALISTS SHALL BE
IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE FOLLOWING STANDARDS:
  A. IN EACH ELEMENTARY OR SECONDARY SCHOOL WITH AN  ENROLLMENT  OF  NOT
MORE  THAN ONE HUNDRED PUPILS, A CERTIFIED SCHOOL LIBRARY MEDIA SPECIAL-
IST SHALL BE EMPLOYED AS FIFTEEN HUNDREDTHS OF  A  FULL-TIME  EQUIVALENT
STAFF MEMBER;
  B.  IN  EACH ELEMENTARY OR SECONDARY SCHOOL WITH AN ENROLLMENT OF MORE
THAN ONE HUNDRED BUT NOT MORE THAN THREE  HUNDRED  PUPILS,  A  CERTIFIED
SCHOOL LIBRARY MEDIA SPECIALIST SHALL BE EMPLOYED AS A THREE-TENTHS OF A
FULL-TIME EQUIVALENT STAFF MEMBER;
  C.  IN  EACH ELEMENTARY OR SECONDARY SCHOOL WITH AN ENROLLMENT OF MORE
THAN THREE HUNDRED BUT NO MORE THAN FIVE  HUNDRED  PUPILS,  A  CERTIFIED
SCHOOL  LIBRARY  MEDIA  SPECIALIST  SHALL BE EMPLOYED AS A ONE HALF OF A
FULL-TIME EQUIVALENT STAFF MEMBER;

 EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                      [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                           LBD07876-01-5

S. 3931                             2

  D. IN EACH ELEMENTARY OR SECONDARY SCHOOL WITH AN ENROLLMENT  OF  MORE
THAN  FIVE  HUNDRED  PUPILS, A CERTIFIED SCHOOL LIBRARY MEDIA SPECIALIST
SHALL BE EMPLOYED AS A FULL-TIME EQUIVALENT STAFF MEMBER;
  E.  (I)  IN  EACH ELEMENTARY OR SECONDARY SCHOOL WITH AN ENROLLMENT OF
MORE THAN TWO  THOUSAND  PUPILS,  TWO  CERTIFIED  SCHOOL  LIBRARY  MEDIA
SPECIALISTS  SHALL  EACH  BE  EMPLOYED  AS  A FULL-TIME EQUIVALENT STAFF
MEMBER;
  (II) AN ADDITIONAL CERTIFIED SCHOOL LIBRARY MEDIA SPECIALIST SHALL  BE
EMPLOYED  AS A FULL-TIME EQUIVALENT STAFF MEMBER FOR EACH ADDITIONAL ONE
THOUSAND PUPILS ENROLLED IN AN ELEMENTARY OR SECONDARY SCHOOL.
  F. (I) IN EACH ELEMENTARY OR SECONDARY SCHOOL WITH AN ENROLLMENT OF AT
LEAST ONE THOUSAND PUPILS, A FULL-TIME EQUIVALENT STAFF MEMBER SHALL  BE
EMPLOYED AS A LIBRARY CLERK.
  (II) AN ADDITIONAL FULL-TIME EQUIVALENT STAFF MEMBER SHALL BE EMPLOYED
AS  A  LIBRARY CLERK FOR EACH ADDITIONAL ONE THOUSAND PUPILS ENROLLED IN
AN ELEMENTARY OR SECONDARY SCHOOL.
  3. THE COMMISSIONER MAY, UPON APPLICATION BY A SCHOOL DISTRICT,  WAIVE
THE  APPLICABILITY OF THE PROVISIONS OF SUBDIVISIONS ONE AND TWO OF THIS
SECTION FOR UP TO ONE YEAR, IF SUCH APPLICATION DEMONSTRATES THE ELEMEN-
TARY OR SECONDARY SCHOOL IS WITHIN A DESIGNATED SHORTAGE AREA FOR CERTI-
FIED SCHOOL LIBRARY MEDIA SPECIALISTS, AND SUCH APPLICATION DEMONSTRATES
THAT AN ACTUAL OFFER OF  EMPLOYMENT  WAS  MADE  TO  A  CERTIFIED  SCHOOL
LIBRARY  MEDIA  SPECIALIST; HOWEVER, NO SUCH WAIVER SHALL BE GRANTED FOR
MORE THAN TWO CONSECUTIVE SCHOOL YEARS, AND NO MORE THAN TWO WAIVERS MAY
BE GRANTED WITH A FIVE YEAR PERIOD.
  S 2. This act shall take effect on the first of July  next  succeeding
the date on which it shall have become a law.

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Senate Bill S3931

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Sponsored By

Hugh T. Farley