§ 1917-a. Employees; employment rights; creation of new central high school district. 1. Teachers and other staff members of component districts, except the superintendent of schools, whose services in the component districts are no longer needed because of the creation of a central high school district or the transference of students to an existing central high school district, shall be granted employment rights in central high school districts in accordance with the provisions of this section.

2. As used in this section, a "component district" shall mean a central, union free or common school district within the territory of the central high school district, and a "central high school district" shall mean a central high school district existing or created pursuant to this article.

3. In any case in which a component district sends students to a central high school district, each teacher and all other employees previously employed in the education of such students by such component district prior to the time that such component district sends its students to a central high school district shall be considered employees of such central high school district, with the same tenure status held in such component district.

For purposes of this section, when a component district takes back students that it sent to another district on a tuition basis and sends such students to a central high school district, such central high school district shall be deemed the "sending district" for purposes of the rights and protections provided in section three thousand fourteen-c of this chapter.

4. If the number of teaching and other positions needed to provide the educational services required by such central high school district is less than the number of teachers and other employees eligible to be considered employees of such central high school district as provided by subdivision three of this section, the services of the teachers and other employees having the least seniority in the component district within the tenure area of the position shall be discontinued. Such teachers and other employees 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 component district, the "receiving district" as defined in section three thousand fourteen-c of this chapter, from which a component district has taken back students, and the central high school district similar to the one such teacher or other employee filled in such component district. The teachers and other employees on such preferred lists shall be reinstated or appointed to such vacancies in such corresponding or similar positions under the jurisdiction of the component district or the central high school district in the order of their length of service in such component district, within seven years from the date of the abolition of such office or position.

5. For any such teacher or other employee as described in subdivision three of this section for salary, sick leave and any other purposes, the length of service credited in such component district shall be credited as employment time with such central high school district.

6. This section shall in no way be construed to limit the rights of any of such teachers or other employees described in this section granted by any other provision of law.