S2076

An Act concerning school district staffing vacancies and supplementing chapter 6 of Title 18A of the New Jersey Statutes.

Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

1. As used in this act:

“Novice teacher” means a teacher eligible to work under a valid certificate of eligibility or certificate of eligibility with advanced standing who has not yet been issued a provisional certificate.

“School district” means a school district, charter school, renaissance school project, county special services school district, or county vocational school district.

2. a. The Department of Education shall, within 180 days of the effective date of this act, establish and maintain a database of novice teachers that shall be available to school districts and novice teachers to assist in filling staffing vacancies. The database shall not be available to the general public.

b. The database shall include the following information for each novice teacher:

(1) the novice teacher’s name, telephone number, email address, and method by which a school district may contact the novice teacher;

(2) the novice teacher’s current employment status;

(3) the certificate and endorsement held by the novice teacher; and

(4) any other information the Commissioner of Education deems necessary.

c. The department shall develop a mechanism by which a novice teacher may opt out of inclusion in the database. A novice teacher may request to be excluded from the database at any time.

d. A novice teacher may request the department limit the contact information included in the database pursuant to paragraph (1) of subsection b. of this section to a preferred method of contact. The department shall comply with a request made by a novice teacher pursuant to this subsection.

3. a. The Department of Education shall hold three job fairs per year to assist school districts in filling staffing vacancies, with one job fair held in each of the northern, central, and southern regions of the State.

b. (1) The department shall invite school districts to participate in the job fairs.

(2) The job fair shall be open to novice teachers included in the database established pursuant to section 2 of this act, individuals enrolled in an educator preparation program, and any other individual appropriately certified to work in a public school in the State.

c. The department shall notify each novice teacher included in the database established pursuant to section 2 of this act of the date, time, and location of each job fair.

d. The department may charge employer participants a reasonable, nominal fee to participate in a job fair held pursuant to this section. The fee obtained pursuant to this subsection shall only be used to cover costs associated with identifying and securing a location for the job fair, hospitality services, and other administrative costs as determined by the commissioner.

4. This act shall take effect immediately.

STATEMENT

This bill requires the Department of Education to establish a database of novice teachers to assist school districts in filling staffing vacancies and requires the department to hold three job fairs per year.

Under the bill, the department is required, within 180 days of the effective date of the bill, to establish and maintain a database of novice teachers that is to be available to school districts and novice teachers to assist in filling staffing vacancies. The database is to include the following information: (1) the novice teacher’s name, telephone number, email address, and method by which a school district may contact the novice teacher; (2) the novice teacher’s employment status; (3) the certificate and endorsement held by the novice teacher; and (4) any other information the Commissioner of Education deems necessary. The bill requires the department to develop a mechanism by which a novice teacher may opt out of inclusion in the database and permits a novice teacher to request to be excluded from the database at any time. Under the bill, a novice teacher is permitted to request the department limit the contact information included in the database to that of a preferred method of contact. The department is required to comply with this request.

The bill also requires the department to hold three job fairs per year, with one held in each of the northern, central, and southern regions of the State. The department is required to invite school districts to participate in the job fairs, and to notify each novice teacher included in the database established under the provisions of the bill of the date, time, and location of each job fair. Novice teachers, individuals enrolled in an educator preparation program, and any other individual appropriately certified to work in a public school in the State are permitted to attend the job fair.

The bill permits the department to charge employer participants a reasonable, nominal fee to participate in the job fair, but limits use of any fees collected to covering costs associated with identifying and securing a location for the job fair, hospitality services, and any other administrative costs as determined by the commissioner.

The bill defines “novice teacher” as a teacher eligible to work under a valid certificate of eligibility or certificate of eligibility with advanced standing who has not yet been issued a provisional certificate, and “school district” to mean a school district, charter school, renaissance school project, county special services school district, or county vocational school district.