LEGISLATIVE FISCAL ESTIMATE
SENATE, No. 2835
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
219th LEGISLATURE
DATED: OCTOBER 28, 2021
SUMMARY
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Synopsis: |
Requires compilation of data and issuance of annual reports on New Jersey teacher workforce. |
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Type of Impact: |
Expenditure increase for the State and local school districts. |
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Agencies Affected: |
Department of Education; Local School Districts. |
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Office of Legislative Services Estimate |
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Fiscal Impact |
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State Cost Increase |
Indeterminate |
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Local Cost Increase |
Indeterminate |
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· The Office of Legislative Services (OLS) finds that this bill will lead to indeterminate, likely marginal, increases in cost to the Department of Education (DOE) and to school districts. The bill requires that information related to teacher retention and the teacher workforce be submitted by school districts to the DOE through the existing NJ SMART Education Data System.
· The bill requires the DOE to annually compile data submitted by school districts in a report that details the Statewide, county, and district trends in teacher retention. The DOE may incur additional costs to the extent that this report would require additional work hours, assuming that the development of the report is subsumed within the roles of existing staff.
· The bill also requires the New Jersey Education to Earnings Data System (NJEEDS) to issue certain reports on teacher workforce projections for the State. The NJEEDS may incur additional costs to the extent that these reporting requirements require additional staff or work hours.
BILL DESCRIPTION
This bill establishes certain reporting requirements in regard to the current and projected teacher workforce in the State. The bill requires school districts to annually submit to the DOE, no later than October 15, information for the current school year on teaching positions, including the number of vacant teaching positions, the number of new teaching positions, the number of teaching positions that were eliminated, and the anticipated teacher retirements. The information will be submitted through the NJ SMART Education Data System.
This bill also requires school districts to annually submit to the department, no later than September 1, various information on public school teacher retention. The DOE will annually compile the data submitted by school districts in a report that details the Statewide, county, and district trends in teacher retention and includes any recommendations that the commissioner may have on State actions that may be initiated to improve teacher retention among various demographic groups.
Within six months of the bill’s effective date, the NJEEDS will issue a report on teacher workforce projections for the State for the following two years using data provided by the DOE. The department will provide any data necessary for the report within three months of the bill’s effective date. Following the issuance of this initial report, the Education to Earnings Data System will issue, by March 1 of each year, a report on teacher workforce projections for the State. The Executive Leadership Council of the NJEEDS will report to the Legislature on January 15 and July 15 of each year on the progress of the annual teacher workforce projection report.
FISCAL ANALYSIS
EXECUTIVE BRANCH
None received.
OFFICE OF LEGISLATIVE SERVICES
The OLS finds that this bill will lead to indeterminate, likely marginal, increases in cost to the DOE and to school districts. The bill requires that information related to teacher retention and the teacher workforce be submitted by school districts to the DOE through the existing NJ SMART Education Data System. In addition to using an existing data system for the collection of the information required to be submitted by school districts, the DOE appears to already possess the staff and technical infrastructure necessary to allow it to collect the data required under the bill.
The bill requires the DOE to annually compile data submitted by school districts in a report that details the Statewide, county, and district trends in teacher retention. The DOE may incur additional costs to the extent that this report would require additional work hours, assuming that the development of the report is subsumed within the roles of existing staff.
The bill also requires the NJEEDS to issue certain reports on teacher workforce projections for the State. The NJEEDS may incur additional costs to the extent that these reporting requirements require additional staff or work hours. The OLS notes that the NJEEDS is the Statewide longitudinal data system administered by the Office of the Secretary of Higher Education in partnership with the DOE and the Department of Labor and Workforce Development, the Motor Vehicle Commission, the Higher Education Student Assistance Authority, and Rutgers University. The NJEEDS is based at the John J. Heldrich Center for Workforce Development at Rutgers University. According to its “2020 Year in Review” publication, the NJEEDS has seven staff members. The OLS also notes that footnote language included in the fiscal year (FY) 2022 appropriations act currently authorizes the appropriation of an amount not to exceed $500,000 to support the maintenance of the NJEEDS.
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Section: |
Education |
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Analyst: |
Associate Fiscal Analyst |
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Approved: |
Thomas Koenig Legislative Budget and Finance Officer |
This legislative fiscal estimate has been produced by the Office of Legislative Services due to the failure of the Executive Branch to respond to our request for a fiscal note.
This fiscal estimate has been prepared pursuant to P.L.1980, c.67 (C.52:13B-6 et seq.).