S1071 FISCAL ESTIMATE

Senate Bill No.1071 of 1996 establishes the “Arts Create Excellent Schools (ACES) Pilot Program” in the Department of Education (DOE). ACES is a program designed to implement research that shows that an arts based curriculum can serve as an impetus for educational improvement across all academic lines. In conducting the program, the department is to consult with the New Jersey State Council on the Arts (COA) in the operation and administration of the program. Under the bill, the program will start as a pilot project lasting four years. The Commissioner of Education is to select three schools to be developed as model schools which will incorporate an innovative arts infused curriculum into the student learning process. The model schools are to be developed through organizational partnerships including State and local government agencies and the private sector. The commissioner is to seek a cross section of schools from urban, suburban, rural and State-operated school districts with equal consideration given to schools located in the northern, central and southern regions of the State. In addition, the department is required to conduct an annual evaluation during the first four years, after which the commissioner shall submit to the Governor and the Legislature an evaluation of the program and a recommendation on the continuation and expansion of the program to other schools within the State.

According to information received from the Department of Education, it is estimated that the program will cost a total of $1.3 million over the four year period. The following table illustrates the total estimated costs for the program by expenditure category. According to the department, the first year following enactment will not result in any additional State costs because the department will not seek an appropriation to implement the bill. Instead it will seek funding through private contributions from interested parties, federal funds and use existing school district funding to implement the pilot program. In addition, private and federal matching funds of $184,000 have been identified for the first year and are included in the total. Total costs outlined below represent a combination of State and federal funds, private contributions, and school district funding.

Expenditure Category	Year 1	Total: Years 1-4
Salaries	$100,000	$400,000
Teacher Training	$171,000	$534,000
Project Evaluation	$50,000	$50,000
Assessment Develop-ment	$50,000	$110,000
Community Network Research	$15,000	$15,000
Artists in Residence	N/A	$180,000
Project Documentation	$10,000	$40,000
Tech/Infrast. Enhancements	unknown	unknown
TOTAL	$396,000	$1,329,000

Funding shown for the Artists in Residence component of the pilot program is estimated at $60,000 per year and it is anticipated that a portion of these funds will be provided through the existing Arts in Education grant program administered by the Council on the Arts. The total amount available for Arts in Education grants in FY 1996 was approximately $313,000.

The Office of Legislative Services is unable to estimate the potential impact of this bill on the State Council on the Arts. Although the bill limits the participation of the COA to a consultant basis, the extent to which the COA would be involved would determine whether additional resources would be required.

This legislative fiscal estimate has been produced by the Office of Legislative Services due to the failure of the Executive Branch to respond to our request for a fiscal note.