SENATE, No. 177

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

217th LEGISLATURE

 

PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2016 SESSION

 


 

Sponsored by:

Senator  CHRISTOPHER "KIP" BATEMAN

District 16 (Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex and Somerset)

 

Co-Sponsored by:

Senator Kyrillos

 

 

 

 

SYNOPSIS

     Establishes Task Force on School District Regionalization.

 

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

     Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel.

  


An Act establishing a Task Force on School District Regionalization. 

 

     Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

 

     1.    a.  There is established in the Department of Education a Task Force on School District Regionalization.  The purpose of the task force is to study and evaluate issues associated with the establishment of new regional school districts in the State. 

     b.    The task force shall consist of the following 16 members:

     (1)   the Commissioner of Education, or a designee, who shall serve ex officio;

     (2)   11 members appointed by the Governor, who shall include: an executive county superintendent of schools; a director of special education services in a school district; a superintendent of schools; a school principal; a director of curriculum; one member upon the recommendation of the New Jersey Education Association; one member upon the recommendation of the New Jersey School Boards Association; one member upon the recommendation of the New Jersey Principals and Supervisors Association; one member upon the recommendation of the New Jersey Association of School Administrators; one member upon the recommendation of the Garden State Coalition of Schools; and one person who was directly involved in facilitating the most recent school district regionalization effort in the State;

     (3)   one member appointed by the President of the Senate and one member appointed by the Minority Leader of the Senate, both of whom shall be members of the public with demonstrated expertise in issues relating to the work of the task force; and

     (4)   one member appointed by the Speaker of the General Assembly and one member appointed by the Minority Leader of the General Assembly, both of whom shall be members of the public with demonstrated expertise in issues relating to the work of the task force.

     c.     Appointments to the task force shall be made within 30 days after the effective date of this act.  Vacancies in the membership of the task force shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointments were made.  Members of the task force shall serve without compensation, but shall be reimbursed for necessary expenditures incurred in the performance of their duties as members of the task force within the limits of funds appropriated or otherwise made available to the task force for its purposes.

 

     2.    The task force shall organize as soon as practicable, but no later than 30 days following the appointment of its members.  The task force shall choose a chairperson from among its members and shall appoint a secretary who need not be a member of the task force.  The presence of 9 members of the task force shall constitute a quorum.  The task force may conduct business without a quorum, but may only vote on recommendations when a quorum is present.

 

     3.    The Department of Education shall provide such stenographic, clerical, and other administrative assistants, and such professional staff as the task force requires to carry out its work.  The task force also shall be entitled to call to its assistance and avail itself of the services of the employees of any State, county, or municipal department, board, bureau, commission, or agency as it may require and as may be available for its purposes.

 

     4.    The task force shall study and evaluate issues associated with school district regionalization, and make recommendations regarding the provision of regionalization incentives and the elimination of impediments to regionalization.  The task force shall:

     a.     review existing research, studies, and data concerning the regionalization of school districts;

     b.    consider implementation challenges associated with the regionalization of school districts including, but not limited to, the financing of feasibility studies along with innovative approaches to conduct feasibility studies that may reduce the costs of pursuing regionalization, issues associated with school district governance and financing, and the integration of curriculum, programs, and staff; 

     c.     identify and review benefits of regionalization including, but not limited to, any potential cost savings, and the ability to establish and offer a wider array of educational programs and services and extracurricular activities; and 

     d.    identify incentives that may encourage school districts to regionalize and the impediments that discourage school districts from entering into regional school district arrangements. 

 

     5.    a.  The task force shall issue a final report to the Governor, and to the Legislature pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1), no later than six months after the task force organizes.  The report shall contain the task force’s findings and recommendations regarding possible incentives for the establishment of new regional school districts and the elimination of impediments to the creation of regional districts.

     b.    The task force shall expire 30 days after the issuance of its final report.

 

     6.    This act shall take effect immediately.

STATEMENT

 

     This bill establishes in the Department of Education a 16-member task force to study and evaluate issues associated with school district regionalization.  The task force will be comprised of:     - the Commissioner of Education;

     - 11 members appointed by the Governor, including an executive county superintendent of schools; a director of special education services in a school district; a superintendent of schools; a school principal; a director of curriculum; one member upon the recommendation on the New Jersey Education Association; one member upon the recommendation of the New Jersey School Boards Association; one member upon the recommendation of the New Jersey Principals and Supervisors Association; one member upon the recommendation of the New Jersey Association of School Administrators; one member upon the recommendation of the Garden State Coalition of Schools; and one person who was directly involved in facilitating the most recent school district regionalization effort in the State;

     - one member appointed by the President of the Senate and one member appointed by the Minority Leader of the Senate, both of whom will be members of the public with demonstrated expertise in issues relating to the work of the task force; and

     - one member appointed by the Speaker of the General Assembly and one member appointed by the Minority Leader of the General Assembly, both of whom will be members of the public with demonstrated expertise in issues relating to the work of the task force.

     The task force will study and evaluate issues associated with school district regionalization, and make recommendations regarding the provision of regionalization incentives and the elimination of impediments to regionalization.  The task force will:

     - review existing research, studies, and data concerning the regionalization of school districts;

     - consider implementation challenges associated with the regionalization of school districts including, but not limited to, the financing of feasibility studies along with innovative approaches to conduct feasibility studies that may reduce the costs of pursuing regionalization, issues associated with school district governance and financing, and the integration of curriculum, programs, and staff; 

     - identify and review benefits of regionalization including, but not limited to, any potential cost savings, and the ability to establish and offer a wider array of educational programs and services and extracurricular activities; and 

     - identify incentives that may encourage school districts to regionalize and the impediments that discourage school districts from entering into regional school district arrangements. 

     The task force is required to issue a final report to the Governor and the Legislature within six months of its organization, which contains the task force’s findings and recommendations regarding possible incentives for the establishment of new regional school districts and the elimination of impediments to the creation of regional districts.