S2847

An Act establishing the “New Jersey Out-of-School Time Advisory Commission.”

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

1. a. There is established a New Jersey Out-of-School Time Advisory Commission.

b. The commission shall consist of 23 members, including:

(1) the Commissioners of Education, Human Services, and Children and Families, and the Secretary of Higher Education, ex officio, or their designees; and

(2) 19 public members appointed by the Governor, including one member appointed upon the recommendation of the President of the Senate, one member appointed upon the recommendation of the Speaker of the General Assembly, and one representative from each of the following: the New Jersey Council for Young Children; the Advocates for Children of New Jersey; the New Jersey School Age Care Coalition; the New Jersey Association of School Administrators; the New Jersey Parent-Teacher Association; the Statewide Parent Advocacy Network; the New Jersey Education Association; the American Federation of Teachers– New Jersey; the New Jersey School Boards Association; the New Jersey Principals and Supervisors Association; the New Jersey Public Charter Schools Association; the Advisory Committee for Nonpublic Schools of the Department of Education; the New Jersey Child Care Association; the Boys and Girls Clubs in New Jersey; the New Jersey YMCA State Alliance; the New Jersey Recreation and Park Association; and one academic researcher in the field of youth development.

2. All appointments shall be made within 30 days after the effective date of this act. Vacancies in the membership of the commission shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointments were made. Members of the commission shall serve without compensation but shall be entitled to their actual and necessary expenses incurred in the performance of their duties within the limits of funds made available to the commission for its purposes.

3. The commission shall organize within 60 days after the appointment of its members and shall select a chairperson, a vice-chairperson, and a secretary from among its members.

4. It shall be the duty of the commission to:

a. assess the state of out-of-school time programs in New Jersey by reviewing the policies of all State agencies that fund before-school, after-school, or summer programs, as well as review existing research and best practices;

b. recommend models for out-of-school time program design, implementation, and assessment;

c. examine the existing amount of funding available for out-of-school time programs and the source of the funding; and

d. examine the development and operation of out-of-school time programs in urban, suburban, and rural school districts, and make recommendations to increase the accountability and quality of before-school, after-school, and summer programs and improve access to the programs.

5. The Department of Education shall provide staff and related support services to the commission or, in consultation with the Office of the Secretary of Higher Education and within 90 days of the effective date of this act, shall select a public institution of higher education that is willing to provide staff and related support services to the commission at no cost to the State.

6. The commission shall issue an interim report of its findings and recommendations, including any recommended legislation, to the Governor, and to the Legislature pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1), no later than one year after its organizational meeting, and a final report no later than two years after its organizational meeting.

7. This act shall take effect immediately and the commission shall expire 30 days after the submission of the final report.

STATEMENT

This bill establishes a New Jersey Out-of-School Time Advisory Commission.

Under the bill, the commission is to consist of 23 members, including the Commissioners of Education, Human Services, and Children and Families, and the Secretary of Higher Education, ex officio, or their designees; and 19 public members appointed by the Governor, including one member appointed upon the recommendation of the President of the Senate, one member appointed upon the recommendation of the Speaker of the General Assembly, and 16 representatives from various education stakeholder groups and experts in youth development.

The duties of the commission pursuant to the bill are to: (1) assess the state of out-of-school time programs in New Jersey by reviewing the policies of all State agencies that fund before-school, after-school, or summer programs, as well as review existing research and best practices; (2) recommend models for out-of-school time program design, implementation, and assessment; (3) examine the existing amount of funding available for out-of-school time programs and the source of the funding; and (4) examine the development and operation of out-of-school time programs in urban, suburban, and rural school districts, and make recommendations to increase the accountability and quality of the before-school, after-school, and summer programs and improve access to the programs.

The bill requires the Department of Education to provide staff and related support services to the commission. Alternatively, the department, in consultation with the Office of the Secretary of Higher Education and within 90 days of the effective date of the bill, would select a public institution of higher education that is willing to provide staff and related support services to the commission at no cost to the State.

The bill directs the commission to issue an interim report of its findings and recommendations, including any recommended legislation, to the Governor, and to the Legislature, no later than one year after its organizational meeting, and a final report no later than two years after its organizational meeting. The commission will expire 30 days after the submission of the final report.