S T A T E O F N E W Y O R K
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5038--A
2015-2016 Regular Sessions
I N S E N A T E
April 29, 2015
___________
Introduced by Sen. PANEPINTO -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
printed to be committed to the Committee on Education -- recommitted
to the Committee on Education in accordance with Senate Rule 6, sec. 8
-- committee discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended
and recommitted to said committee
AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to providing for the
appointment of members of the board of education in the city of
Buffalo; and providing for the repeal of such provisions upon expira-
tion thereof
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
Section 1. Subdivision a of section 2552 of the education law, as
amended by chapter 138 of the laws of 1974, is amended to read as
follows:
a. City school district of the city of Buffalo: [nine] ELEVEN
members.
S 2. Subdivision 1 of section 2553 of the education law, as separately
amended by chapters 211 and 441 of the laws of 1980, is amended to read
as follows:
1. No person shall be eligible to the office of member of a board of
education who is not a citizen of the United States, who is not quali-
fied to register for or vote at an election in accordance with the
provisions of section 5-106 of the election law, and who, in the case of
the city school district of the city of Yonkers, has not been a resident
of the city school district for which he is chosen for a period of at
least three years immediately preceding the date of his election or
appointment and who, in the case of the city school district of the city
of Buffalo, in the case of a member to be elected OR APPOINTED at large
is not a qualified voter of such city school district and who has not
been a resident of such district for a period of at least three years
immediately preceding the date of his election OR APPOINTMENT and in the
EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD10711-04-6
S. 5038--A 2
case of a member elected from a city school subdistrict is not a quali-
fied voter of such city school subdistrict and has not been a resident
of the city school district for three years and a resident of the city
school subdistrict which he represents or seeks to represent for a peri-
od of one year immediately preceding the date of his election, and who,
in the case of the city school district of the city of Rochester, is not
a qualified voter under section 5-102 of the election law of such city
school district; and who in the case of the city school district of the
city of Syracuse has not been a qualified voter under section 5-102 of
the election law of such city school district for at least ninety days
immediately preceding the date of his election or appointment.
S 3. Paragraph a of subdivision 10 of section 2553 of the education
law, as added by chapter 242 of the laws of 1974, is amended to read as
follows:
a. The members of the board of education of the city school district
of the city of Buffalo shall be elected by the qualified voters of such
city OR APPOINTED BY THE MAYOR as provided herein.
S 4. Paragraph c of subdivision 10 of section 2553 of the education
law, as added by chapter 242 of the laws of 1974, is amended to read as
follows:
c. [The] NINE OF THE members of the board of education of the city
school district of the city of Buffalo shall be elected as follows: one
member from each of such six city school subdistricts within such city
by the qualified voters therein and three members of such board of
education shall be chosen by the qualified voters at large within such
city. THE REMAINING TWO MEMBERS OF SUCH BOARD OF EDUCATION SHALL BE
APPOINTED BY THE MAYOR OF THE CITY OF BUFFALO AT LARGE FROM WITHIN THE
CITY SUBJECT TO THE CONFIRMATION OF SUCH APPOINTMENT BY A MAJORITY VOTE
OF THE COMMON COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF BUFFALO.
S 5. Paragraph n of subdivision 10 of section 2553 of the education
law, as added by chapter 242 of the laws of 1974, is amended to read as
follows:
n. The term of office of each member of such board from a city school
subdistrict OR APPOINTED BY THE MAYOR shall be three years, and the term
of office of each such member of the board elected at large shall be for
five years. THE INITIAL TERM OF OFFICE OF EACH APPOINTED MEMBER OF THE
BOARD SHALL BEGIN ON JULY FIRST, TWO THOUSAND SIXTEEN. Of the candidates
to be elected for membership on the board of education of the city
school district of the city of Buffalo by the voters at large the three
candidates receiving the largest number of votes cast in the city, shall
be declared elected as at-large members of such board of education. In
each city school subdistrict the candidates seeking the election as the
member of such board of education for such city school subdistrict
receiving a plurality of votes in such city school subdistrict shall be
declared elected to that position.
Whenever a vacancy shall occur or exist in the office of AN ELECTED
member of the board of education except by reason of expiration of term
or increase in the number of members of such board, such vacancy shall
be filled by a majority vote of the remaining members of the board of
education within thirty days of the date when such vacancy shall have
occurred. If the remaining members of the board of education shall fail
to fill such vacancy within such thirty day period, then the mayor of
the city of Buffalo shall within thirty days thereafter fill such vacan-
cy subject to the confirmation of such appointment by the common council
of the city of Buffalo. No one shall be appointed to fill a vacancy of a
subdistrict member of the board of education unless he fulfills all of
S. 5038--A 3
the qualifications in this subdivision to enable him to be a candidate
for the office of a member of the board of education from the subdis-
trict involved.
WHENEVER A VACANCY SHALL OCCUR OR EXIST IN THE OFFICE OF AN APPOINTED
MEMBER OF THE BOARD OF EDUCATION EXCEPT BY REASON OF EXPIRATION OF TERM,
THE MAYOR OF THE CITY OF BUFFALO SHALL WITHIN THIRTY DAYS THEREAFTER
FILL SUCH VACANCY SUBJECT TO THE CONFIRMATION OF SUCH APPOINTMENT BY THE
COMMON COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF BUFFALO.
S 6. Paragraph o of subdivision 10 of section 2553 of the education
law, as added by chapter 242 of the laws of 1974, is amended to read as
follows:
o. The members so elected to the board of education shall convene on
the first business day in July of each year, at the time of the
commencement of their term of office, WITH THE APPOINTED MEMBERS OF THE
BOARD and select from their members a president who shall serve for a
term of one year or such other term, not exceeding the term of his
office, as may be fixed by the rules and regulations of the board.
S 7. This act shall take effect immediately and shall expire and be
deemed repealed three years after such date; provided that the addi-
tional members of the board of education of the city school district of
the city of Buffalo added by this act shall continue in office until the
end of their appointed term.