A1496

An Act concerning special education programs and services in certain school districts and supplementing chapter 6 of Title 18A of the New Jersey Statutes.

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

1. a. The Commissioner of Education shall establish a program to provide grants to school districts to develop in-district special education programs and services. The purpose of the program shall be to provide start-up funds to school districts to develop high quality in-district special education programs and services to reduce the need to place classified students out-of-district and consequently reduce the costs to districts associated with those placements. The in-district special education programs and services may be developed by an individual school district or on a collaborative basis by two or more districts.

b. Grant funds allocated under the program may be used for, but not limited to, research and development, curriculum development, materials and supplies, specialized equipment and furniture, staff training, consultant fees, outreach and promotional materials, and program evaluation.

2. a. Within 90 days of the effective date of this act, the commissioner shall forward to school districts a request for proposals for the establishment of in-district special education programs. The commissioner shall consult with school districts in the development of the request for proposals to ensure a streamlined application process which clearly sets forth the criteria required for selection of a grant recipient, and outlines the process and time frame for the evaluation of proposals.

b. A school district or districts which applies to participate in the grant program shall submit a proposal to the commissioner in such form as prescribed by the commissioner. The proposal shall include: a general description of the program; the types of student educational disabilities that the program is designed to address; the number of potential participants; the program's potential impact on reducing the number of out-of-district placements for classified students and the special education costs incurred by the district; plans to continue the in-district special education program upon the elimination of grant funding; program resources to assist parents and teachers in appropriately addressing student educational disabilities within the district; and any other information that may be required by the commissioner.

3. The commissioner shall select grant recipients based upon the quality of the proposed program and its potential to reduce out-of-district placements and the costs associated with those placements. The commissioner shall select grant recipients in the northern, central and southern regions of the State and shall allocate to each selected school district a grant in such amount as he may deem necessary.

4. In the event that a school district which is awarded a grant pursuant to section 3 of this act makes subsequent application to the commissioner to expand the scope of the special education program or service to classified students enrolled in grade levels beyond those outlined in the initial application, the commissioner may renew grant funding to support the start-up costs associated with the expansion of the original program to additional grade levels.

5. The commissioner shall implement a plan to collect from each participating school district data on the effectiveness of the grant program in reducing the need to place classified students in out-of-district placements. The data collected from each district shall include, but not be limited to: information regarding the student population served by the program, including the number and educational disability of student participants; information on the academic performance of the classified students in the program; the number and qualifications of program staff; the cost-savings to the school district attributable to a reduction in the number of classified students requiring out-of-district placement; the level of parental satisfaction with the program; and any other information required by the commissioner.

6. No later than three years after the effective date of this act, the commissioner shall submit to the Governor and the Legislature a report that evaluates the effectiveness of the grant program in providing high quality programs and services to classified students while reducing the need for out-of-district placements and the costs associated with those placements. The report shall include a recommendation on the advisability of the grant program's continuation and extension to additional school districts.

7. This act shall take effect immediately.

STATEMENT

This bill directs the Commissioner of Education to establish a program to provide grants to school districts to develop in-district special education programs and services. The purpose of the program would be to provide start-up funds to school districts to develop high quality in-district special education programs and services to reduce the need to place classified students out-of-district and consequently reduce the costs to districts associated with those placements. The in-district special education programs and services may be developed by an individual school district or on a collaborative basis by two or more districts.

Under the bill, the commissioner would forward to school districts a request for proposals for the establishment of in-district special education programs. A school district which applies to participate in the grant program must submit a proposal to the commissioner that includes: a general description of the program; the types of student educational disabilities that the program is designed to address; the number of potential participants; the program's potential impact on reducing the number of out-of-district placements for classified students and the special education costs incurred by the district; plans to continue the in-district special education program upon the elimination of grant funding; program resources to assist parents and teachers in appropriately addressing student educational disabilities within the district; and any other information that may be required by the commissioner.

The bill directs the commissioner to select grant recipients based upon the quality of the proposed program and its potential to reduce the district's out-of-district placements and the costs associated with those placements. The commissioner is to select grant recipients in the northern, central and southern regions of the State and would allocate to each selected school district a grant in such amount as he deems necessary.

The bill also directs the commissioner to implement a plan to collect from each participating school district data on the effectiveness of the grant program in reducing the need to place classified students in out-of-district placements. Three years after the bill's effective date, the commissioner is also required to submit to the Governor and the Legislature a report that evaluates the effectiveness of the grant program in providing high quality programs and services to classified students while reducing the need for out-of-district placements and the costs associated with those placements. The report is to include a recommendation on the advisability of the grant program's continuation and extension to additional school districts.