Senate Bill S5550

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   5550
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                             February 24, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen.  CLEARE -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be committed to the Committee on New York City Education
 
 AN ACT to amend the education  law,  in  relation  to  authorizing  high
   school  students to vote on city-wide education councils regardless of
   age

   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1.  The opening paragraph and subparagraph 3 of paragraph a of
 subdivision  4  of  section  2590-b  of the education law, as amended by
 chapter 345 of the laws of 2009,  are amended to read as follows:
   There shall be a city-wide council on special education created pursu-
 ant to this section. The city-wide council on  special  education  shall
 consist of [eleven] THIRTEEN voting members [and one non-voting member],
 as follows:
   (3)  [one  non-voting  member] TWO VOTING MEMBERS who [is a]  ARE high
 school [senior]  STUDENTS  with  an  individualized  education  program,
 appointed by the administrator designated by the chancellor to supervise
 special education programs.  Such member shall serve a one year term.
   §  2. The opening paragraph and subparagraph (iii) of paragraph (a) of
 subdivision 5 of section 2590-b of the education law, as added by  chap-
 ter 345 of the laws of 2009,  are amended to read as follows:
   There  shall  be  a  city-wide  council  on  English language learners
 created pursuant to this  section.  The  city-wide  council  on  English
 language learners shall consist of [eleven] THIRTEEN voting members [and
 one non-voting member], as follows:
   (iii)  [one non-voting member] TWO VOTING MEMBERS who [is a]  ARE high
 school [senior] STUDENTS who [is]  ARE or [has]  HAVE been in  a  bilin-
 gual  or English as a second language program, appointed by the adminis-
 trator designated by the chancellor to  supervise  such  programs.  Such
 member shall serve a one year term.
   §  3.   The opening paragraph and subparagraph (v) of paragraph (a) of
 subdivision 6 of section 2590-b of the education law, as added by  chap-
 ter 345 of the laws of 2009,  are amended to read as follows:
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
              

                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD09394-01-5
 S. 5550                             2

   There shall be a city-wide council on high schools created pursuant to
 this  section.  The  city-wide  council on high schools shall consist of
 [thirteen] FIFTEEN  voting  members  [and  one  non-voting  member],  as
 follows:
   (v)  [one  non-voting member] TWO VOTING MEMBERS who [is a] ARE public
 high school [senior]  STUDENTS, appointed by the chancellor pursuant  to
 a  process  developed  by the chancellor.  Such member shall serve a one
 year term.
   § 4.  The opening paragraph and subparagraph (iii) of paragraph (a) of
 subdivision 7 of section 2590-b of the education law, as added by  chap-
 ter 364 of the laws of 2022,  are amended to read as follows:
   There  shall  be  a city-wide council on district seventy-five created
 pursuant to this section. The city-wide council  for  district  seventy-
 five shall consist of [eleven] THIRTEEN voting members [and one non-vot-
 ing member], as follows:
   (iii)  [one  non-voting member] TWO VOTING MEMBERS who [is a] ARE high
 school [senior] STUDENTS appointed by the  administrator  designated  by
 the  chancellor to supervise district seventy-five schools and programs.
 Such member shall serve a one year term.
   § 5. The opening paragraph and  paragraph  (d)  of  subdivision  1  of
 section  2590-c  of  the education law, as amended by chapter 364 of the
 laws of 2022,  are amended to read as follows:
   Each community district shall be  governed  by  a  community  district
 education  council.  The  community  councils  shall consist of [twelve]
 FIFTEEN voting members [and two non-voting members], as follows:
   (d) [Two non-voting] THREE VOTING members who are high school [seniors
 residing] STUDENTS ATTENDING A HIGH SCHOOL in  the  district,  shall  be
 appointed  by the superintendent from among the [elected] student [lead-
 ership]  BODY.  Such members shall serve for a one year term.
   § 6. The opening paragraph of subdivision 1 of section 2590-c  of  the
 education law, as amended by chapter 385 of the laws of 1998, is amended
 to read as follows:
   Each  community  district  shall  be  governed by a community board to
 consist of nine members to be elected for a term of three years, AND TWO
 MEMBERS WHO SHALL BE STUDENTS CHOSEN BY THE BOARD, and to serve  without
 compensation.   Each such board shall select one of its members to serve
 as [chairman] CHAIRPERSON.
   § 7. Subdivisions 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12 of  section  2590-c  of
 the education law are renumbered subdivisions 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 and
 13 and a new subdivision 5 is added to read as follows:
   5.  EVERY  STUDENT ATTENDING ANY HIGH SCHOOL UNDER THE JURISDICTION OF
 THE COMMUNITY BOARD OF SUCH DISTRICT SHALL BE ELIGIBLE FOR MEMBERSHIP AS
 A STUDENT ON SUCH COMMUNITY BOARD. THE COMMUNITY BOARD SHALL  FILL  BOTH
 STUDENT  POSITIONS  WITHIN  FORTY-FIVE  DAYS  OF  THE  COMMUNITY BOARD'S
 ELECTION.
   § 8. This act shall take effect immediately; provided that:
   (a) the amendments to section 2590-b of  the  education  law  made  by
 sections one, two, three and four of this act shall not affect the expi-
 ration  of  such  section and shall expire and be deemed repealed there-
 with; and
   (b) the amendments to section 2590-c of  the  education  law  made  by
 section  five  of this act shall be subject to the expiration and rever-
 sion of such section when upon such date the provisions of  section  six
 and seven of this act shall take effect.