Relates to vacancies on the community district education council

2 Co-sponsors

• Liz Krueger
• Daniel L. Squadron

BILL NUMBER:S7345

Title of bill

An act to amend the education law, in relation to vacancies on the community district education council

Purpose

This bill would expand the pool of eligible parents for membership on the community district education councils, and would therefore widen participation for parents of English language learners and help fill vacancies.

Summary of provisions

Section one of the bill would amend Education Law section 2590-c(6)(b)(2), which deals with vacancies that result in community district education councils not having at least one parent of a student who is an English language learner. Section 2 of the bill would amend Education Law section 2590-c(8)(c), which deals with selection procedures for community district education council members and which provides that such selection procedures shall ensure that at least one position on the council is filled by a parent of a student who is an English language learner. Both sections of the bill add the same language to the existing provisions of the Education Law that each amends. The language that would be added simply expands the description, and thus statutory eligibility, to parents of students who have been English language learners within the preceding two years.

Justification

Existing law provides that the community district education councils are to have selection procedures that ensure that at least one member of each council is to be the parent of a student who is an English language learner ("ELL student"). However, as has previously been the problem with the City-wide Council on English Language Learners

(CCELL), it has been difficult to recruit parents of current ELL students to serve on the district councils. In 2013, the Education Law was amended to expand eligibility for membership on the CCELL to parents of former ELL students. Chapter 103 of the Laws of 2013 (A.833) added language to Education Law section 2590-b extending eligibility parents whose children had been ELL students within the preceding two years. This bill would add similar language to Education Law section 2590-c, providing a similar solution to the same recruitment problem - expanding eligibility to parents who have recent experience with ELL programs, and whose children have achieved sufficient language proficiency to move out of ELL programs.

Legislative history

2014 - A.8346

Fiscal implications

None.

Effective date

This act shall take effect immediately.