ASSEMBLY EDUCATION COMMITTEE

STATEMENT TO

ASSEMBLY, No. 4006

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

DATED:  JUNE 10, 2020

      The Assembly Education Committee reports favorably Assembly Bill No. 4006.

      Under current law, each school district is required to undergo a comprehensive review under the State monitoring system, the New Jersey Quality Single Accountability Continuum (NJQSAC).  To accommodate the workload involved in monitoring the school districts in the State, only a certain number of school districts are required to undergo the monitoring in any one year according to a schedule established by the Commissioner of Education.

      This bill would postpone the comprehensive review under NJQSAC for certain school districts in order to allow the districts and the Department of Education to focus their time and resources in addressing issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic.  The bill provides that the comprehensive review will instead take place in the 2021-2022 school year for any school district that is required to undergo: (1) a comprehensive review in the 2019-2020 school year, which review was not completed due to the COVID-19-related school closures; or (2) a comprehensive review in the 2020-2021 school year.  These districts will be required to undergo their next comprehensive review, however, as if the postponement had not occurred.  Additionally, the bill stipulates that all school districts that are not subject to the bill’s provisions will continue to be monitored according to their regular three-year schedule.  The postponements permitted under this bill will not disrupt the schedule for any other school district’s comprehensive review.

      The bill provides, however, that a school district may request and receive an exemption from the postponement of the comprehensive review under the bill.  The school district would undergo the comprehensive review when it was originally scheduled.