SENATE, No. 1903

 

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

 

INTRODUCED MARCH 10, 1997

 

 

By Senator EWING

 

 

An Act concerning the educational programs of county vocational schools and county colleges and supplementing 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 county vocational school and the county college in each county in which both entities exist shall form an alliance which shall consist of six members: three members to be appointed by the superintendent of the county vocational school and three members to be appointed by the president of the county college. The members of the alliance shall serve at the pleasure of the respective appointing authority.

    b. The purpose of the alliance shall be to:

    (1) Review approved occupational programs at the county vocational school, associate degree programs at the county college and existing noncredit postsecondary courses offered by both the county vocational school and the county college to increase the cost efficiency and avoid unnecessary duplication of the programs and courses, and any equipment, facilities or personnel associated with the programs and courses;

    (2) Develop plans to offer occupational programs and associate degree programs, and noncredit postsecondary courses, collaboratively, where feasible, in order to eliminate duplication wherever possible;

    (3) Review any proposals by the county vocational school or the county college to implement new noncredit postsecondary courses. If any member of the alliance raises issues of unnecessary duplication or expense in regard to a proposed course, the alliance shall resolve the issue according to the procedures set forth in subsection c. of this section; and

    (4) Provide advice and information promptly to guide students to all available resources and opportunities, in order to assist students in locating the appropriate training programs so that the students are able to move into the workforce without undue delay.

    c. In the case of a new noncredit postsecondary course, if a member of the alliance raises an issue of unnecessary duplication or expense in regard to the proposed course, the alliance shall attempt to resolve the issue within the framework of the local Workforce Investment Board's workforce investment plan. If the issue cannot be resolved by the alliance, the alliance shall seek the advice of the local Workforce Investment Board, or a designated subgroup of the board. If the issue continues to be unresolved after the advice of the local Workforce Investment Board has been sought, the issue may be brought to a State- level committee composed of the Commissioner of Education, the Executive Director of the Commission on Higher Education, the Director of the State Employment and Training Commission, or their designees, to review the information presented, as well as the advice of the local Workforce Investment Board, and issue a decision.

    d. As used in this section, the "Workforce Investment Board" means a local board established pursuant to Executive Order No. 36 of 1995.

 

    2. The Department of Education and the Commission on Higher Education shall assess the progress of the alliances and report the results to the Governor and Legislature by January, 1998.

 

    3. This act shall take effect immediately.

 

 

STATEMENT

 

    This bill requires that the county vocational school and the county college in each county in which both entities exist form an alliance consisting of six members: three to be appointed by the superintendent of the county vocational school and three to be appointed by the president of the county college. The purpose of the alliance is to:

    - Review various programs and courses offered by the county vocational school and the county college, including occupational programs, associate degree programs and noncredit postsecondary courses;

    - Develop plans to offer occupational programs, associate degree programs and noncredit postsecondary courses collaboratively, where feasible; and

    - Provide advice and information promptly to guide students to all available resources and opportunities in regard to training programs.

    In the case of the review of proposed new noncredit postsecondary courses, the bill provides that if any member of the alliance objects to the offering of a course because of unnecessary duplication or expense, the alliance will attempt to resolve the issue within the framework of the local Workforce Investment Board's workforce investment plan. The bill further provides that if the alliance, using the workforce investment plan, cannot resolve the issue, then the Workforce Investment Board's advice must be sought. If the issue continues to be unresolved, then a State- level committee composed of the Commissioner of Education, the Executive Director of the Commission on Higher Education and the Director of the State Employment and Training Commission must issue a decision on the matter.

    Local Workforce Investment Boards were established pursuant to Executive Order No. 36 of 1995 by Governor Whitman. These boards are intended to coordinate existing federal, State and local workforce readiness policies and programs into a single system. Pursuant to the Executive Order these boards are required to generate local workforce investment plans that must include, as one of the many components of the plan, the development of an integrated service delivery system, which would include programs at the county vocational schools and the county colleges to serve the needs of the local population.

    The bill requires that the Department of Education and the Commission on Higher Education will assess the progress of the alliances and report the results to the Governor and the Legislature by January, 1998.

    This bill represents the recommendations contained in the final report of the Commission on Higher Education and Department of Education Staff Working Group on Community College/County Vocational School Mission Differentiation and Collaboration, dated September 4, 1996.

 

 

                             

 

Establishes alliances between county vocational schools and county colleges.