BILL NUMBER: S5088
SPONSOR: SEPULVEDA
 
TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the education law, in relation to school district diver-
sity, equity and inclusion officers
 
PURPOSE:
This bill would require every school district to have a diversity, equi-
ty and inclusion officer to develop methods to diversify the personnel
of their school district.
 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section one: amends the education law to require school districts to
have a diversity, equity and inclusion officer.
Section two: delineates the qualifications of officers.
Section three: sets restrictions on who is eligible to hold the position
of diversity, equity and inclusion officer.
Section four: states an administrative employee of the school district
shall be appointed as the school district diversity, equity and inclu-
sion officer.
Section five: adds "diversity, equity and inclusion officer" to the
heading of part 2 of article 43 of the education law
Section six: outlines the duties of diversity, equity and inclusion
officer, which include developing methods to diversify the personnel of
the school district, with an emphasis on diversifying teaching staff;
annually reviewing racial and ethnic disparities within the school
district and encouraging and assisting in the recruitment and retention
of a more racially and technically diverse staff. The diversity, equity
and inclusion officer also would review policies and practices to reduce
racial and ethnic disparities in hiring school district employees,
particularly teachers. The diversity, equity and inclusion officer would
be in charge of publishing an annual report on the school districts
plans, processes and progress in hiring and retaining educators of color
which would be presented to the local board of education and available
to the public.
Section seven to ten: calls for a report to be prepared and submitted to
the department of education in response to the annual report presented
to the board of education on the district's plans for hiring and retain-
ing educators of color.
Section eleven: calls on the commissioner of education to prepare an
annual report based on the reports submitted to the department of educa-
tion by local boards of education on school district's plans, processes
and progress in hiring and retaining educators of color and such report
is to be submitted to the legislature annually.
Section twelve: Sets the effective date.
 
JUSTIFICATION:
A 2019 State Education Department Educator Diversity Report found New
York's education workforce does not reflect the diversity of our commu-
nities and student population. The report noted that the state's student
population has grown increasingly diverse, but the teacher workforce has
remained 80% white. 56% of the enrolled student population in New York
State were students of color, while teachers of color made up only 19%
of the workers.
Furthermore, in a study conducted by the National Center for Suburban
Studies at Hofstra University, state Education Department student and
faculty records for all of Nassau and Suffolk counties' 642 public
school buildings over ten years ending with the 2016-17 academic year
were reviewed and found that 45% of public-school enrollment, on Long
Island were non-white, but minority teachers made up less than half of
the state and national averages at only 8%.
According to a study by The Education Trust - New York, one third of all
New York schools had no Black or Latino teachers in the 2015-16 school
year. That finding equates to over 115,000 enrolled Black and Latino
students without a single full-time same race or ethnicity teacher and
almost half the state's White students without a Black or Latino teach-
er.
Research has shown the important educational benefits for all students
that stems from educator diversity. For students of color, the impact of
having a teacher of the same race or ethnicity can have such positive
impacts as higher test scores and less disciplinary issues. Even more
profound is the influence of students seeing members of their own race
or ethnicity as role models in high level positions and positions of
power. Exposure to diversity brings exposure to different viewpoints,
diverse ideas, and greater understanding of cultures resulting in a
richer teaching and learning environment for all students.
New York is in need of diversifying its teacher workforce for the good
of our student population and for the greater good of our society. This
legislation would seek to address the lack of diversity in our school
districts across the state by requiring a diversity officer who will be
entrusted with developing ways to diversify the workforce of the school
district with an emphasis on diversifying teaching staff and helping
recruit and retain a more racially diverse workforce.
 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
S.4308A of 2023-2024; Amend and Recommit to Education;
S. 6687 of 2021-22: New bill, Referred to Education
 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
Undetermined.
 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.

Statutes affected:
S5088: 2101 education law, 2101(1) education law, 2102 education law, 2103 education law, 2103(1) education law, 1709 education law, 1804 education law, 2503 education law, 2554 education law, 305 education law