3013 - Abolition of office or position.

§ 3013. Abolition  of  office  or  position. 1. If a trustee, board of  trustees,  board  of  education  or  board  of  cooperative  educational  services  abolishes  an office or position and creates another office or  position for the performance of duties similar to those performed in the  office or position abolished, the person filling such office or position  at the time of its abolishment shall  be  appointed  to  the  office  or  position thus created without reduction in salary or increment, provided  the record of such person has been one of faithful, competent service in  the office or position he or she has filled.    2.  Whenever  a trustee, board of trustee, board of education or board  of cooperative educational services  abolishes  a  position  under  this  chapter,  the  services of the teacher having the least seniority in the  system  within  the  tenure  of  the   position   abolished   shall   be  discontinued.    3.  (a) If an office or position is abolished or if it is consolidated  with another position  without  creating  a  new  position,  the  person  filling  such  position  at the time of its abolishment or consolidation  shall be placed  upon  a  preferred  eligible  list  of  candidates  for  appointment  to  a vacancy that then exists or that may thereafter occur  in an office or position similar to the one  which  such  person  filled  without  reduction  in  salary or increment, provided the record of such  person has been one of faithful, competent  service  in  the  office  or  position  he or she has filled. The persons on such preferred list shall  be reinstated or appointed to such vacancies in  such  corresponding  or  similar  positions in the order of their length of service in the system  at  any  time  within  seven  years  from  the  date  of  abolition   or  consolidation of such office or position.    (b)  The  persons  on  such  preferred  list  shall  be reinstated, in  accordance with the terms of paragraph (a) of this subdivision, to  such  substitute  positions  of  five  months or more in duration, as may from  time to time occur without losing their preferred status on  such  list.  Declination  of  such  reinstatement  shall  not  adversely  affect  the  persons' preferred eligibility status.