Sponsored by:
Senator RICHARD J. CODEY
District 27 (Essex and Morris)
SYNOPSIS
Requires charter schools to annually submit to Commissioner of Education salary and benefit information for certain employees.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning salaries and benefits of certain charter school employees and supplementing P.L.1995, c.426 (C.18A:36A-1 et seq.).
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. As used in this section, “administrator” means an employee of a charter school who holds a position which requires a certificate that authorizes the holder to serve as a school administrator or school business administrator.
b. The Commissioner of Education shall require a charter school to submit annually with its budget the following items in regard to an administrator, and any employee with an annual salary that exceeds $75,000 who is not a member of the instructional or support services staff:
(1) a detailed statement of the employment contract terms for these charter school employees including, but not limited to, the duration of the contract and all forms of compensation provided for under the contract;
(2) the annualized cost of all benefits provided to these charter school employees including, but not limited to, all allowances, bonuses and stipends, and all contributions made by the charter school towards the costs of health, dental, life and other types of insurance, medical and reimbursement plans, and retirement plans which exceed the contributions for the costs of these items made on behalf of instructional or support services staff;
(3) a detailed statement of any benefits provided for in the employment contract with these charter school employees which are to be conferred after or upon the separation from the charter school; and
(4) a detailed statement of any form of in-kind or other form of remuneration provided to these charter school employees which is not otherwise included in the employee's salary or benefits.
c. The items required to be submitted pursuant to subsection b. of this section shall be provided for public inspection on the charter school’s Internet site, if one exists, in a "user-friendly" format using plain language, and on the Department of Education's Internet site in an easily accessible location. The Commissioner of Education shall promulgate a "user-friendly," plain language format for the use of charter schools for this purpose.
2. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill imposes upon charter schools the same requirements that were imposed upon school districts in March of 2007 under section 4 of P.L.2007, c.53 (C.18A:7F-5.3). The bill provides that the Commissioner of Education must require a charter school to submit with its annual budget certain salary and benefits information in regard to a charter school administrator, and any employee with an annual salary that exceeds $75,000 who is not a member of the instructional or support services staff. The bill defines an “administrator” as an employee of a charter school who holds a position which requires a certificate that authorizes the holder to serve as school administrator or school business administrator. The information that must be submitted annually in regard to these employees includes the following:
(1) a detailed statement of the employment contract terms including, but not limited to, the duration of the contract and all forms of compensation provided for under the contract;
(2) the annualized cost of all benefits provided including, but not limited to, all allowances, bonuses, and stipends, and all contributions made by the charter school towards the costs of health, dental, life and other types of insurance, medical and reimbursement plans, and retirement plans which exceed the contributions for the costs of these items made on behalf of instructional or support services staff;
(3) a detailed statement of any benefits provided for in the employment contract which are to be conferred after or upon the separation from the charter school; and
(4) a detailed statement of any form of in-kind or other form of remuneration provided which is not otherwise included in the employee's salary or benefits.
The bill provides that these items will be available for public inspection on the charter school’s Internet site, if one exists, in a "user-friendly" format using plain language, and on the Department of Education's Internet site in an easily accessible location. The Commissioner of Education is directed to promulgate a "user-friendly," plain language format for the use of charter schools for this purpose.