Bill Text: NJ S769 | 2010-2011 | Regular Session | Amended

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Bill Title: Requires executive county superintendent to designate a county special services school district, jointure commission, or educational services commission as the county education services agency to assist local school districts in sharing services. *

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)

Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2011-06-27 - Received in the Assembly, Referred to Assembly Education Committee [S769 Detail]

Download: New_Jersey-2010-S769-Amended.html

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[First Reprint]

SENATE, No. 769

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

214th LEGISLATURE

 

PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2010 SESSION

 

 

Sponsored by:

Senator  STEPHEN M. SWEENEY

District 3 (Salem, Cumberland and Gloucester)

 

 

 

 

SYNOPSIS

     Requires executive county superintendent to designate a county special services school district, jointure commission, or educational services commission as the county education services agency to assist local school districts in sharing services.

 

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

     As reported by the Senate Education Committee on May 19, 2011, with amendments.

  

An Act concerning the establishment of education services agencies and supplementing chapter 7 of Title 18A of the New Jersey Statutes.

 

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

 

     1.    The Legislature finds and declares that:

     a.     In April 2007 the Legislature enacted P.L.2007, c.63 which established the office of the executive county superintendent of schools;

     b.    Under the provisions of P.L.2007, c.63 a local school district may apply to the executive county superintendent to have school district services including, but not limited to, transportation, personnel, purchasing, payroll, and accounting, assumed by the office of the superintendent;

     c.     The legislation provides further that the executive county superintendent may utilize county special services school districts ¹, jointure commissions,¹ and educational services commissions to provide services to local school boards;

     d.    County special services school districts ¹, jointure commissions,¹  and educational services commissions have been providing shared services to counties for many decades and are uniquely positioned to assist executive county superintendents in implementing their charge of identifying efficiencies and cost savings in the delivery of education services; and

     e.     By designating a county special services school district ¹, a jointure commission,¹ or an educational services commission as an education services agency for the county, the executive county superintendent would be taking a significant step in accomplishing the coordination and sharing of services among school districts which the Legislature through the CORE legislation has determined to be vitally important to the welfare of this State.

 

     2.    a. The executive county superintendent of schools shall identify in the county an education services agency.  The county special services school district ¹, jointure commission,¹ or educational services commission located within the county shall serve as the education services agency; except that if there is no county special services school district ¹, jointure commission,¹ or educational services commission located within the county, the Commissioner of Education shall designate a county special services school district  ¹, jointure commission,¹ or educational services commission in an adjoining county to serve as the education services agency.

     b.    The funding and governance structure of a county special services school district ¹, jointure commission,¹ or educational services commission which is functioning as the county education services agency shall continue as currently provided under law; except that the programs and services which may be offered by the designated education services agency may include the programs and services authorized by law to be provided by a county special services school district ¹, jointure commission,¹ and ¹[by]¹ an educational services commission regardless of which entity is designated as the education services agency.

     c.     The county education services agency shall make available to all school districts within the county a full array of programs and services including, but not limited to: behavioral, business, and case management services; county integrated preschool programs; crisis response teams; database for placement options; early intervention programs; grant writing assistance; homeless, in-district programs; migrant and itinerant instructional services; nonpublic school services and programs; outdoor and environmental education; psychiatric evaluations; public relations; residency investigations; respite programs; safe schools evaluations and support; satellite classes; SEMI coordination; substitute registry; summer school programs; technology support; therapeutic services and evaluations; transition services; transportation; and workshops and professional development activities.  ¹An entity designated as the county education services agency shall have the capacity to offer the array of programs and services listed in this subsection or the capacity to facilitate the sharing of these programs and services by the school districts within the county.

     d.    Nothing in this act shall be construed to require a school district to avail itself of any of the programs and services of a county education services agency, including facilitating the sharing of programs and services among school districts within the county.¹

 

     3.    The State Board of Education shall adopt rules and regulations pursuant to the "Administrative Procedure Act," P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), necessary to effectuate the provisions of this act.

 

     4.    This act shall take effect immediately and shall first apply to the ¹[2009-2010] 2011-2012¹ school year.