SENATE EDUCATION COMMITTEE

STATEMENT TO

SENATE, No. 177

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

DATED:  MARCH 3, 2016

     The Senate Education Committee favorably reports Senate Bill No. 177.

     This bill establishes in the Department of Education a 16-member task force to study and evaluate issues associated with school district regionalization.  The task force will be comprised of:     - the Commissioner of Education;

     - 11 members appointed by the Governor, including an executive county superintendent of schools; a director of special education services in a school district; a superintendent of schools; a school principal; a director of curriculum; one member upon the recommendation of the New Jersey Education Association; one member upon the recommendation of the New Jersey School Boards Association; one member upon the recommendation of the New Jersey Principals and Supervisors Association; one member upon the recommendation of the New Jersey Association of School Administrators; one member upon the recommendation of the Garden State Coalition of Schools; and one person who was directly involved in facilitating the most recent school district regionalization effort in the State;

     - one member appointed by the President of the Senate and one member appointed by the Minority Leader of the Senate, both of whom will be members of the public with demonstrated expertise in issues relating to the work of the task force; and

     - one member appointed by the Speaker of the General Assembly and one member appointed by the Minority Leader of the General Assembly, both of whom will be members of the public with demonstrated expertise in issues relating to the work of the task force.

     The task force will study and evaluate issues associated with school district regionalization, and make recommendations regarding the provision of regionalization incentives and the elimination of impediments to regionalization.  The task force will:

     - review existing research, studies, and data concerning the regionalization of school districts;

     - consider implementation challenges associated with the regionalization of school districts including, but not limited to, the financing of feasibility studies along with innovative approaches to conduct feasibility studies that may reduce the costs of pursuing regionalization, issues associated with school district governance and financing, and the integration of curriculum, programs, and staff;

     - identify and review benefits of regionalization including, but not limited to, any potential cost savings, and the ability to establish and offer a wider array of educational programs and services and extracurricular activities; and

     - identify incentives that may encourage school districts to regionalize and the impediments that discourage school districts from entering into regional school district arrangements.

     The task force is required to issue a final report to the Governor and the Legislature within six months of its organization, which contains the task force’s findings and recommendations regarding possible incentives for the establishment of new regional school districts and the elimination of impediments to the creation of regional districts.

      This bill was pre-filed for introduction in the 2016-2017 session pending technical review.  As reported, the bill includes the changes required by technical review, which has been performed.