ASSEMBLY EDUCATION COMMITTEE

STATEMENT TO

SENATE, No. 2835

with committee amendments

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

DATED:  DECEMBER 9, 2021

      The Assembly Education Committee reports favorably Senate Bill No. 2835 with committee amendments.

     As amended, 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 Commissioner of Education, 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. 

     This bill also requires school districts to annually submit to the commissioner, no later than September 1, information on public school teacher retention that includes:

     (1)   the number of teachers who left employment with the district during the prior school year;

     (2)   the reason why those teachers left employment with the district, including dismissal, non-renewal of a contract, a reduction in force, employment in another school district or a nonpublic school, employment in another field, relocation to another state, or retirement;

     (3)   the characteristics of the teachers who left the district, including age, sex, race, and tenure status; and

     (4)   such other information the commissioner deems appropriate.

     The commissioner 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. The commissioner will submit the report to the Governor and to the Legislature.

     Within six months of the bill’s effective date, the Executive Leadership Council of the New Jersey Education to Earnings Data System will issue a report on teacher workforce projections for the State for the following two years using data provided by the New Jersey Department of Education.  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 Executive Leadership Council of the Education to Earnings Data System will issue, by March 1 of each year, a report on teacher workforce projections for the subsequent three to five years. The report will include, but not be limited to, information on:

     (1)   the teaching positions, by certification area, in high demand in the State and existing vacancies;

     (2)   the number of bilingual teachers needed to provide adequate limited English proficiency programming to students in the State;

     (3)   the number of computer science teachers  needed to provide access to computer science coursework to all students in the State;

     (4)   the classes and programs that may be eliminated within the next three years; and

     (5)   the areas in which teachers and school leaders should be prepared so that they can ensure students are ready for the future economy.

     The Executive Leadership Council of the New Jersey Education to Earnings Data System will report to the Legislature on January 15 and July 15 of each year on the progress of the annual teacher workforce projection report.

      As amended and reported by the committee, this bill is identical to Assembly Bill No. 5292, which was also amended and reported by the committee on this same date.

COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS

The committee amended the bill to:

· require that information submitted by school districts on teaching positions in the current school year will be submitted in a manner to be prescribed by the Commissioner of Education;

· require the Executive Leadership Council of the New Jersey Education to Earnings Data System, rather than the Data Stewards Working Group, to define the vacancy data elements to be submitted by school districts under the bill;

· clarify that the Executive Leadership Council of the New Jersey Education to Earning Data System will issue the reports on teacher workforce projections required under the bill;

· provide that the report on teacher workforce projections for the subsequent three to five years required under the bill will include: information on the teaching positions, by certification area, in high demand in the State and existing vacancies and information on the areas in which teachers and school leaders should be prepared so that they can  ensure students are ready for the future economy; and

· require that the bill would take effect six months after the date of enactment rather than immediately.