ASSEMBLY, No. 1563

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

INTRODUCED FEBRUARY 15, 1996

By Assemblywoman TURNER

An Act concerning the office of the county superintendent of schools and amending N.J.S.18A:7-3, 18A:7-6, 18A:7-7 and 18A:7-10.

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

    1. N.J.S.18A:7-3 is amended to read as follows:

    18A:7-3. A county superintendent of schools shall receive such salary as shall be approved by the commissioner and the president of the civil service commission subject to availability of funds.

    Each county superintendent shall receive, in addition to his salary, the traveling and other expenses incurred by him in conducting his office and performing his official duties, which shall be paid by the [county] State treasurer on the orders of the commissioner, upon his furnishing to the commissioner an itemized statement thereof certified under his oath, together with proper vouchers, and no such order shall be issued until such statement and vouchers are so furnished.

(cf: N.J.S.18A:7-3)

    2. N.J.S.18A:7-6 is amended to read as follows:

    18A:7-6. The county superintendent shall maintain an office at a suitable location within the county which shall be open to the public as are other [county] State offices and which shall be supplied to him, and shall be suitably furnished and equipped, by the [board of chosen freeholders of the county] State, and the school records of the county for the use of the county and State Departments of Education, the United States Office of Education and the United States Commissioner of Education shall be kept at such office.

(cf: P.L.1968, c.470, s.1)

    3. N.J.S.18A:7-7 is amended to read as follows:

    18A:7-7. The county superintendent, with the approval of the Commissioner of Education, shall appoint such clerical assistants for his office as he shall deem necessary and fix their compensation [within the limits of available appropriations made therefor. In counties governed by Title 11, Civil Service, of the Revised Statutes, such appointments shall be made and compensation shall be fixed pursuant to the provisions thereof, and in all other counties the compensation of such clerical assistants shall be fixed on a basis commensurate with that of other county employees performing similar duties] subject to the provisions of Title 11A (Civil Service) of the New Jersey Statutes, except where otherwise provided by law. That compensation shall be payable as other State salaries are paid, on certification by the commissioner, and shall not exceed in the aggregate the sum annually appropriated for that purpose.

(cf: N.J.S.18A:7-7)

    4. N.J.S.18A:7-10 is amended to read as follows:

    18A:7-10. Each county superintendent shall, on or before December 1 of each year, furnish to the [board of chosen freeholders of the county] State Board of Education a statement of the amounts estimated to be necessary to be appropriated for the ensuing year for:

    a. the compensation of his clerical assistants;

    b. the supplying of furniture, supplies and equipment for his office;

    c. printing; and

    d. traveling and other expenses incident to the conduct and the performance of his official duties of his office incurred by him.

    The [board of chosen freeholders] State board shall fix and determine the amounts necessary to be appropriated for such purposes and shall [appropriate the same accordingly] include that amount in the annual request for funds for the operation of the State Department of Education submitted to the Governor for inclusion in the annual appropriations act.

(cf: N.J.S.18A:7-10)

    5. This act shall take effect immediately.

STATEMENT

    This bill provides that all the expenses of the Office of the County Superintendent of Schools will be paid by the State in the same manner that all other State offices and employees are funded. The county superintendent and the professional staff of those offices are State employees and are already on the State payroll. However, the counties are required to pay for office supplies, equipment and clerical staff. Since the county offices are essentially extensions of the State Department of Education, it is appropriate that all of the functions of these offices be paid by the State.

Requires the State to pay all costs for operation of the Office of the County Superintendent of Schools.