Bill Text: NJ S1800 | 2012-2013 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Requires superintendent to assume responsibilities of principal in certain school districts.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2012-03-15 - Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Education Committee [S1800 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2012-S1800-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Senator SHIRLEY K. TURNER
District 15 (Hunterdon and Mercer)
SYNOPSIS
Requires superintendent to assume responsibilities of principal in certain school districts.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning the responsibilities of a superintendent in certain school districts and supplementing chapter 17 of Title 18A of the New Jersey Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. Notwithstanding any law, rule, or regulation to the contrary, in any district having one school and an enrollment in the school of less than 500 students on the October 15 next following the effective date of P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill), the board of education shall require that the superintendent assume the responsibilities of the principal for that school. The superintendent shall assume the responsibilities upon the expiration of the contracts with the superintendent and the principal in effect on the effective date of P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill).
b. If a school in a district having one school has an enrollment of 500 students or greater on the October 15 next following the effective date of P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill), the superintendent shall not be required to assume the responsibilities of the principal in a subsequent school year unless the school's enrollment is less than 500 students on October 15 in any three consecutive school years.
c. A school district that has assigned the responsibilities of the principal to the superintendent pursuant to the provisions of subsections a. and b. of this section shall continue to assign such responsibilities to the superintendent unless the school's October 15 enrollment increases to at least 750 students in a subsequent school year.
d. The provisions of this section shall not apply to any school district that shares a superintendent with another school district pursuant to the provisions of P.L.1996, c.111 (C.18A:17-24.1 et seq.).
2. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill requires that the superintendent in a school district with one school perform the responsibilities of the school principal if the school has fewer than 500 students enrolled in that school on the October 15 following the effective date of the bill. In subsequent years, to ensure stability as enrollment changes, a school district with one school in which the enrollment falls below 500 students would not have to modify the superintendent's responsibilities until the enrollment remained below the threshold for three consecutive years. Similarly, a district that was previously required to assign the principal's responsibilities to the superintendent would continue to do so unless the school's enrollment increases to at least 750 students. The provisions of this bill would not apply to a school district that shares its superintendent with another school district.
The purpose of this bill is to enhance operational efficiencies in small school districts. Smaller districts lack the economies of scale found in larger districts and, as a consequence, tend to spend significantly more per pupil on administration. This bill would provide for a reduction of administrative costs and would allow the districts to target the savings to the classroom or towards property tax relief.
