SENATE BUDGET AND APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE

STATEMENT TO

[First Reprint]

SENATE, No. 1189

with Senate committee amendments

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

DATED: OCTOBER 28, 1996

      The Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee reports favorably Senate Bill No. 1189 (1R) with amendments.

      As amended, Senate Bill No. 1189 (1R) establishes an Educational Technology Teacher Training Program in the Department of Education to train public and non-public school teachers and staff to effectively use educational technology.

      The program is to be developed and administered by the Commissioner of Education. The commissioner will accept proposals for training programs from local school districts and other appropriate applicants. The proposals will include an outline on the manner in which the training program will become self-supporting at the end of a three-year grant period through a fee-for-service arrangement, private sector support, or some other mechanism as developed by the grant recipient.

      The program will provide grants on a competitive basis to local school districts which have successfully integrated technology within their own educational programs, or other appropriate applicants, to develop and offer educational technology training programs to the teachers and staff of other school districts and staff of non-public schools.

      The commissioner is to award grants for three year periods to support each of at least 21 teacher training sites in the amount of $200,000 per site. There is to be a phase-in of sites over a three-year period with at least seven sites established in the first year, seven in the second, and seven in the third. In establishing the phase-in schedule, the commissioner is to ensure that there is an equitable distribution of sites in terms of geographic location with at least one site established in each county.

      The grants may be used to develop accessible training sites; personnel costs; equipment acquisition; telecommunication subscription fees; and other items approved by the commissioner. The bill sets forth the minimum program requirements for each training site. The bill does not provide an appropriation.

      As amended and reported, this bill is identical to Assembly Bill No. 1864 (2R) (Wolfe/Doria).

COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS:

      The committee amended bill, with the approval of the sponsor, to make the technology training programs established pursuant to this bill accessible to non-public school teachers and staff.

FISCAL IMPACT:

       In the legislative fiscal estimate prepared on this bill, the Office of Legislative Services (OLS) estimates a first year cost of $1.4 million based on establishing seven sites at $200,000 each. The second year cost would be $2.8 million for 14 sites; and $4.2 million for 21 sites in the third year.

       After the third year, the cost to the State would decrease with the first seven sites becoming self-supporting. Under the bill, the revenue generated by the fee-based services offered by the training centers supplement, not supplant, the State grant awards during the initial three year period. However, the OLS is not able to estimate the amount of revenue that would be generated by the training centers for offering various fee-based services. The Department of Education has indicated that it is exploring funding sources for the technology training program outlined by this bill, including federal funding.

        Finally, the FY 1997 appropriations act provided $500,000 for Educational Technology Training Grants. The department states that, under its own program, three competitive grants of $125,000 (totaling $375,000) to counties will be awarded; the remaining balance of the appropriation will be used for salaries and administrative costs associated with the program's operation at the departmental level. For FY 1997, the recipients of the grants are required to provide a 50 percent match from other sources.