Bill Text: NJ A1676 | 2024-2025 | Regular Session | Amended

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft

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Bill Title: Requires DOLWD, in consultation with DOE, to establish database of novice teachers and to host job fairs.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 3-0)

Status: (Introduced) 2024-03-04 - Reported out of Asm. Comm. with Amendments, and Referred to Assembly Regulated Professions Committee [A1676 Detail]

Download: New_Jersey-2024-A1676-Amended.html

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[First Reprint]

ASSEMBLY, No. 1676

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

221st LEGISLATURE

 

PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2024 SESSION

 

 

Sponsored by:

Assemblywoman  PAMELA R. LAMPITT

District 6 (Burlington and Camden)

 

Co-Sponsored by:

Assemblywoman Quijano

 

 

 

 

SYNOPSIS

     Requires DOLWD, in consultation with DOE, to establish database of novice teachers and to host job fairs.

 

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

     As reported by the Assembly Education Committee on March 4, 2024, with amendments.

  

An Act concerning school district staffing vacancies and supplementing chapter 6 of Title 18A of the New Jersey Statutes.

 

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

 

     1.    As used in this act:

     "Novice teacher" means a teacher eligible to work under a valid certificate of eligibility or certificate of eligibility with advanced standing who has not yet been issued a provisional certificate.

     "School district" means a school district, charter school, renaissance school project, county special services school district, ¹[or]¹ county vocational school district ¹, or approved private school for students with disabilities¹.

 

     2.    a.  The ¹Department of Labor and Workforce Development, in consultation with the¹ Department of Education ¹,¹ shall, within 180 days of the effective date of this act, establish and maintain a database of novice teachers that shall be available to school districts and novice teachers to assist in filling staffing vacancies.  The database shall not be available to the general public.

     b.    The ¹Commissioner of Education shall provide the following information for each novice teacher to the Department of Labor and Workforce Development to be included in the¹ database ¹[shall include the following information for each novice teacher] established pursuant to subsection a. of this section¹:

     (1)   the novice teacher's name, telephone number, email address, and method by which a school district may contact the novice teacher;

     (2)   the novice teacher's current employment status;

     (3)   the certificate and endorsement held by the novice teacher; and

     (4)   any other information the Commissioner of Education deems necessary.

     c.     The ¹[department] Commissioner of Labor and Workforce Development¹ shall develop a mechanism by which a novice teacher may opt out of inclusion in the database.  A novice teacher may request to be excluded from the database at any time.

     d.    A novice teacher may request ¹[the department limit]¹ the contact information included in the database pursuant to paragraph (1) of subsection b. of this section ¹be limited¹ to a preferred method of contact.  The ¹[department] Commissioner of Labor and Workforce Development¹ shall comply with a request made by a novice teacher pursuant to this subsection.

 

     3.    a.  The ¹Department of Labor and Workforce Development, in consultation with the¹ Department of Education ¹,¹ shall hold three job fairs per year to assist school districts in filling staffing vacancies, with one job fair held in each of the northern, central, and southern regions of the State.

     b.    (1)  The ¹[department] Commissioner of Education¹ shall invite school districts to participate in the job fairs.

     (2)   The job fair shall be open to novice teachers included in the database established pursuant to section 2 of this act, individuals enrolled in an educator preparation program, and any other individual appropriately certified to work in a public school in the State.

     c.     The ¹[department] Commissioner of Labor and Workforce Development¹ shall notify each novice teacher included in the database established pursuant to section 2 of this act of the date, time, and location of each job fair.

     d.    The ¹[department] Commissioner of Labor and Workforce Development¹ may charge employer participants a reasonable, nominal fee to participate in a job fair held pursuant to this section.  The fee obtained pursuant to this subsection shall only be used to cover costs associated with identifying and securing a location for the job fair, hospitality services, and other administrative costs as determined by the commissioner.

 

     4.    This act shall take effect immediately.