§ 3014-a. Teachers' rights as a result of a board or boards of cooperative educational services taking over a program formerly operated by a school district or districts or by a county vocational education and extension board. 1. In any case in which a board or boards of cooperative educational services duly take over the operation of a program formerly provided by a school district or school districts or by a county vocational education and extension board, each teacher, teaching assistant and teacher aide employed in such a program by such a school district or such a county vocational education and extension board at the time of such takeover by the board or boards of cooperative educational services, shall be considered an employee of such board or boards of cooperative educational services with the same tenure or civil service status he maintained in such school district or in such county vocational education and extension board.
2. If the number of teaching positions needed to provide the services required by such program by the board or boards of cooperative educational services is less than the number of teachers, teaching assistants and teacher aides eligible to be considered employees of such board or boards of cooperative educational services as provided by subdivision one of this section, the services of the teachers, teaching assistants and teacher aides having the least seniority in the school district or school districts or county vocational education and extension board whose programs are taken over by the board or boards of cooperative educational services within the tenure area or civil service title of the position shall be discontinued. Such teachers, teaching assistants and teacher aides shall be placed on a preferred eligible list of candidates for appointment to a vacancy that may thereafter occur in an office or position under the jurisdiction of the board or boards of cooperative educational services similar to the one such teacher, teaching assistant and teacher aide filled in such school district or school districts or such county vocational education and extension board. The teachers, teaching assistants and teacher aides on such preferred list shall be reinstated or appointed to such vacancies in such corresponding or similar positions under the jurisdiction of the board or boards of cooperative educational services in the order of their length of service in such school district or school districts or in such county vocational education and extension board, within seven years from the date of the abolition of such office or position.
3. For any such teacher, teaching assistant and teacher aide as set forth in subdivision one of this section for salary, sick leave and any other purposes, the length of service credited in such school district or in such county vocational education and extension board shall be credited as employment time with such board or boards of cooperative educational services.
4. This section shall in no way be construed to limit the rights of any of such employees set forth in this section granted by any other provision of law.
5. Program takeovers pursuant to this section shall be considered a transfer pursuant to section seventy of the civil service law.
