ASSEMBLY, No. 1860
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
INTRODUCED MAY 2, 1996
By Assemblymen WOLFE, ROCCO and Doria
An Act establishing an Educational Technology Grant Program in the Department of Education and supplementing chapter 58 of Title 18A of the New Jersey Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. This act shall be known and may be cited as the "Educational Technology Grant Program Act."
2. The Legislature finds and declares that:
a. Current New Jersey students will comprise the workforce for the early 21st century, and their success depends on making technology available to them and the development of instructional methods which support the students' ability to access, manipulate and communicate information with technological tools;
b. Teachers need to understand the potential of technology to support curriculum goals and to be proficient in the use of technologies appropriate for the education of their students;
c. Educational technology also has the capability of assisting school districts in achieving administrative efficiency and a corresponding reduction in administrative costs;
d. It is imperative that technological resources be available to all of New Jersey's teachers, administrators and students, regardless of the circumstances, financial or otherwise, of the local school district;
e. Although educational technology is available and used by some school districts, relatively few districts within the State have been able to avail themselves adequately of the enormous potential for teaching and learning offered by educational technology; and
f. There is a need for the State to provide grants which will enable school districts to formulate a five-year plan for the acquisition and integration of educational technology into their school programs and to provide an adequate source of funding for those plans.
3. There is established in the Department of Education the Educational Technology Grant Program. The purpose of the program shall be to provide grants to school districts for the funding of five-year technology plans. A grant shall be in the amount of $80 per pupil per year and shall be paid to a district for five years. The district may use the grant for:
a. The acquisition of technological equipment and related services, including hardware, software, subscription fees for telecommunications and data base services, and other related services; or
b. Facility modification to meet the needs for educational technology.
A minimum of 30 percent of the total grant shall be used for the training of staff members in the use of technological resources.
4. An application for a grant to fund a five-year plan shall be submitted by a school board to the Office of Technology in the Department of Education. The application shall include a description of the five-year plan for the acquisition and utilization of technological resources and a discussion of the alternatives which the district considered. In reviewing an application, the office shall consider the relative cost-effectiveness of the district's plan. If the office determines that the plan does not address technology alternatives which are likely to have substantially higher educational impact at approximately the same or lower cost, it shall return the application to the district for revision until the rejection of those alternatives is satisfactorily addressed. The department shall provide technical assistance to school districts in the development of a five-year plan.
5. The aid received by a school district under the grant program shall be placed in a special revenue fund. Unless a district can adequately explain a delay in expenditure, the department shall reduce any State aid payable to the district in the following year in an amount equal to the unexpended technology aid received by the district.
6. There is established within the Department of Education an advisory council which shall be designated the Educational Technology Advisory Council. The council shall have seven members as follows: the Commissioner of Education, ex officio, and six members to be appointed by the commissioner, in consultation with the Commission on Business Efficiency of the Public Schools, for terms of three years; except for the initial appointments, two members shall be appointed for terms of one year; two members shall be appointed for terms of two years; and two members shall be appointed for terms of three years. In the case of a vacancy, the successor shall be appointed in the same manner for the unexpired term only. The advisory council shall assist the Office of Technology as it develops the process for the evaluation of applications for grants under the program and shall meet with the office at least semi-annually to review the implementation of the program and recommend revisions as deemed appropriate.
7. The Department of Education shall issue an annual report to the Governor and the Legislature including, but not limited to, the number of school districts with technology plans, the status of the implementation of those plans, a description of exemplary plans which might serve as models for other districts, and an evaluation of the effectiveness of the grant program. In the first annual report, which shall be issued no later than one year following the effective date of this act, the department shall include an analysis of the state of educational technology in New Jersey prior to the implementation of the grant program.
8. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill establishes the Educational Technology Grant Program in the Department of Education. The purpose of the program is to provide grants to school districts for the funding of five-year technology plans. A grant would be in the amount of $80 per pupil per year and would be paid to a district for five years. The district could use the grant for the acquisition of technological goods and services or facility modification to meet the needs for educational technology. A minimum of 30 percent of the total grant must be used for the training of staff members in the use of technological resources.
An application for a grant to fund a five-year plan would be submitted by a school board to the Office of Technology in the Department of Education. The application would include a description of the five-year plan for the acquisition and utilization of technological resources and a discussion of the alternatives which the district considered. In reviewing an application, the office would consider the relative cost-effectiveness of the district's plan. If the office determines that the plan does not address technology alternatives which are likely to have substantially higher educational impact at approximately the same or lower cost, it would return the application to the district for revision until the rejection of those alternatives is satisfactorily addressed.
The aid received by a school district under the grant program would be placed in a special revenue fund. Unless a district can adequately explain a delay in expenditure, the department would reduce any State aid payable to the district in the following year in an amount equal to the unexpended technology aid received by the district.
An Educational Technology Advisory Council would be established within the Department of Education consisting of seven members as follows: the Commissioner of Education, ex officio, and six members to be appointed by the commissioner in consultation with the Commission on Business Efficiency of the Public Schools for terms of three years. The advisory council would assist the Office of Technology as it develops the process for the evaluation of applications for grants under the program and would meet with the office at least semi-annually to review the implementation of the program and recommend revisions as deemed appropriate.
The Department of Education is required to issue an annual report to the Governor and the Legislature including, but not limited to, the number of school districts with technology plans, the status of the implementation of those plans, a description of exemplary plans which might serve as models for other districts, and an evaluation of the effectiveness of the grant program. In the first annual report, the department is to include an analysis of the state of educational technology in New Jersey prior to the implementation of the grant program.
Establishes the Educational Technology Grant Program in the Department of Education.