Students and parents press council to pass bill counting school librarians after DOE cannot give a definitive number

Council Member James Ressler opened remarks about proposed legislation, Intro 11‑25, at a joint City Council hearing on arts and school libraries, telling the Committee the bill is designed to force transparency about school library staffing and access.

Why it matters: Multiple student witnesses, teachers and parents testified that certified school librarians improve graduation rates, research skills and literacy, and that many New York City public schools lack functioning libraries or certified librarians. Council members pressed DOE officials for a basic count of how many schools lack libraries; the department said it could not provide a final number during the hearing.

What law and proposal were discussed

Ressler described Intro 11‑25 as a response to long‑standing gaps in reporting and to parental and student demands for increased library access and staffing. Multiple witnesses cited New York State Education Department regulations (testimony referenced sections 91.1 and 91.2) that require schools to maintain libraries and call for certified library media specialists in secondary schools, arguing that city reporting should track compliance.

Public testimony and student reports

Students from charter and public high schools described how certified librarians had supported research projects, college applications and daily study time. Nabira Zainab, a senior at the Urban Assembly School for Leadership and Empowerment, told the council, “Schools with certified librarians experienced notably higher graduation rates,” and urged passage of the bill so the council and public could see where resources are missing.

Teachers and parents echoed that view. Sarah Stone, a high school teacher, said librarians are indispensable for teaching digital literacy and navigating credible sources in an era of misinformation. Parent Rachel Cohen described learning in her PTA that her own child’s school lacked a certified librarian and that the library space was sometimes used for other purposes.

DOE response and data gaps

DOE officials testified that they do not yet have a single, authoritative public count of schools without functional libraries or how many certified school librarians are in the system. At one point, a DOE witness said, “We don’t have a final number on that.” Committee members reacted sharply, saying the lack of basic data underlines the need for the reporting bill.

Numbers cited in testimony

DOE testimony included several staffing figures that committee members sought to reconcile. DOE staff said roughly 250 certified school librarians are currently on staff, a number other witnesses and open‑records requests have placed at different levels in recent years. Witnesses cited estimates that the district has lost roughly 80 percent of certified librarians over the last two decades and that roughly 16 percent of schools currently have a certified librarian on staff (figures from advocates and news reporting summarized in testimony).

What council members asked and next steps

Council members asked DOE to provide more accurate, disaggregated data by school and district and to identify steps the department would take to meet state requirements for librarians at the secondary level. DOE agreed to follow up with clearer numbers and to work with council staff on bill language that captures the data needed for oversight.

Ending note

Students, teachers and librarians asked the council to pass Intro 11‑25 and to back it with funding to restore certified school librarians and to ensure libraries are maintained as active, staffed learning centers. The hearing closed with committee members promising follow‑up and written data requests to the DOE.