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Information and details on the bills heard inthe Senate Education Committee on 6-8-06.
Status of Senate bills related to SCI Report recommendations heard in Senate Education Committee on 6-8-06.
S1747:6-8-06 Held in Committee
Caps supplemental compensation for unused sick leave for school administrators at $15,000.
Education
S1876: 6-8-2006 Reported from Senate Committee with Amendments, 2nd
Requires boards of education to provide greater public access to information on employment compensation of certain school administrators and requires annual audit to include test measures for State and federal income tax compliance. *
S1878: 6-8-06 held in committee.
Establishes standards for employment contracts with certain school district administrators, and requires DOE to approve the contracts and to provide public access to the contracts.
Details of bills follow:
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S1747:6-8-06 Held in Committee
Caps supplemental compensation for unused sick leave for school administrators at $15,000.
Education
Identical Bill Number: A1521
Last Session Bill Number: A1274
Doria, Joseph V. as Primary Sponsor
Turner, Shirley K. as Primary Sponsor
Senator JOSEPH V. DORIA, JR.
District 31 (Hudson)
Senator SHIRLEY K. TURNER
District 15 (Mercer)
SYNOPSIS
Caps supplemental compensation for unused sick leave for school administrators at $15,000.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT As introduced.
An Act concerning certain supplemental compensation for school administrators and supplementing chapter 29 of Title 18A of the New Jersey Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. Notwithstanding the provisions of N.J.S.18A:27-4 or any other law, rule or regulation to the contrary, no school board shall pay supplemental compensation in excess of $15,000 to an employee who holds an administrative position for any accumulated sick leave which is credited to the employee at the time of termination of employment or retirement.
2. For the purposes of this act, an administrative position shall mean any of the following positions: superintendent of schools, assistant superintendent of schools, secretary of a board of education, assistant secretary of a board of education, school business administrator, business manager of a board of education, administrative principal, principal, vice-principal, assistant principal, director, supervisor, and any other position requiring the supervisory endorsement.
3. This act shall take effect immediately and shall apply to policies adopted or contracts entered into by a school board on and after the effective date of this act.
STATEMENT This bill provides that no school board shall pay supplemental compensation in excess of $15,000 to a school administrator for any unused sick leave which is credited to the employee at the time of termination of employment or retirement. A cap of $15,000 is currently applicable to the unused sick leave of State employees who retire from a State-administered retirement system. The provisions of this bill applies to policies adopted or contracts entered into on and after the effective date of the act.
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3/21/2006 Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Education Committee
Introduced - 2 pages PDF Format HTML Format
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S1876: 6/8/2006 Reported from Senate Committee with Amendments, 2nd Reading/ Requires boards of education to provide greater public access to information on employment compensation of certain school administrators and requires annual audit to include test measures for State and federal income tax compliance. * | |||||||||||||||||||
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SENATE EDUCATION COMMITTEE
STATEMENT TO
SENATE, No. 1876
with committee amendments
STATE OF NEW
DATED: JUNE 8, 2006
The Senate Education Committee reports favorably Senate Bill No. 1876 with committee amendments.
As amended, this bill provides that boards of education are not permitted to approve an initial employment contract or renegotiate, extend, amend, or otherwise alter the terms of a contract with a superintendent of schools, assistant superintendent of schools, or school business administrator, unless notice is provided to the public at least 30 days prior to the scheduled action by the board. In addition, prior to the scheduled action by the board the following items shall be made available for public inspection:
· a detailed statement of the employment contract terms, including the duration of the contract and all forms of compensation;
· the annualized cost of all benefits provided, including all allowances, bonuses and stipends, and all contributions made by the district towards the costs of insurance, medical and reimbursement plans, and retirement plans;
· a detailed statement of any benefits which are to be conferred after or upon the official’s separation from the district; and
· a detailed statement of any form of in-kind or other form of remuneration provided which is not otherwise included in the official’s salary or benefits.
The bill also provides that if the district is seeking to alter the employment contract by making an adjustment to compensation or changing the duration of the contract, then the board of education must hold a public hearing on the issue. Upon execution of the employment contract, the board is required to provide a copy of the contract on its Internet site, if one exists.
This bill further provides that the annual audit that is conducted in each district will be required to include test measures to assure that all documentation prepared for income tax related purposes complies with the federal and State requirements.
The committee amended the bill to:
· Delete the requirement that school districts submit to the commissioner annually with the budget various items in regard to the compensation of the superintendent of schools, assistant superintendent, and school business administrator;
· Require that the board of education not approve an initial employment contract of one of these school officials, unless notice is provided to the public at least 30 days prior to the scheduled action by the board, and require that the board provide certain information concerning the school official’s compensation for public inspection, prior to acting on the employment contract of one of these officials;
· Incorporate the provisions of section 2 regarding the renegotiation, extension, amendment and alteration of contracts with school officials and the holding of public hearings under certain circumstances into section 1 for greater clarity;
· Require the board of education to provide on its Internet site, if one exists, a copy of the employment contract with each of these school officials; and
· Delete the requirement that the school business administrator certify to the commissioner that all documentation prepared for income tax related purposes in regard to certain school officials complies fully with federal and State laws. The bill continues to require that the annual district audit include test measures to assure compliance in this area.
This bill reflects the concerns raised in the March 2006 report of the New Jersey Commission of Investigation entitled “Taxpayers Beware: What You Don’t Know Can Cost You. An Inquiry Into Questionable and Hidden Compensation for Public School Administrators.”
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S1878: 6-8-06 held in committee Establishes standards for employment contracts with certain school district administrators, and requires DOE to approve the contracts and to provide public access to the contracts.
Education.
Karcher, Ellen as Primary Sponsor
Turner, Shirley K. as Primary Sponsor
5/18/2006 Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Education Committee
Introduced - 4 pages PDF Format HTML Format
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SENATE, No. 1878
STATE OF NEW
212th LEGISLATURE
INTRODUCED MAY 18, 2006
Sponsored by:
Senator ELLEN KARCHER
District 12 (Mercer and Monmouth)
Senator SHIRLEY K. TURNER
District 15 (Mercer)
SYNOPSISEstablishes standards for employment contracts with certain school district administrators, and requires DOE to approve the contracts and to provide public access to the contracts.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning employment contracts for certain public school district administrators 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
1. The State Board of Education, in consultation with interested parties including the New Jersey Association of School Administrators, the New Jersey Association of School Business Officials, and the New Jersey School Boards Association, shall :
a. establish standards for employment contracts of superintendents of schools, assistant superintendents of schools, and school business administrators. The standards shall include, but need not be limited to, the types of compensation and benefit provisions which are deemed appropriate, and in the case of a superintendent of schools, the appropriate term for an employment contract; and
b. define reasonable and acceptable reimbursement for job-related expenses, such as food and travel, incurred by superintendents of schools, assistant superintendents of schools, and school business administrators and establish standards for the mechanisms to be utilized by school districts to enforce limitations on these expenditures.
2. A school district shall submit proposed employment contracts for a superintendent of schools, assistant superintendent of schools, and school business administrator to the Department of Education prior to execution of the contract. Within two weeks of the submission, the department shall inform the district as to whether or not the contract meets the standards established by the State Board of Education pursuant to section 1 of this act. Execution of the contract shall be permitted only upon the department’s determination that the contract meets these standards.
3. a. A school district shall provide to the Department of Education the following information regarding the superintendent of schools, assistant superintendent of schools, and school business administrator employed in the district:
(1) upon execution of an employment contract with any one of these officials, a copy of the contract, and, whenever the contract is renegotiated or amended, an updated copy; and
(2) information regarding the compensation of these officials in a format and according to a schedule specified by the department, including: total compensation; base salary; other cash compensation in addition to base salary, such as bonuses and stipends; and such other items as deemed appropriate by the department.
b. The department shall make available for public inspection at the appropriate county superintendent’s office, copies of the contracts provided by the school districts pursuant to paragraph (1) of subsection a. of this section. The department shall also compile the information provided pursuant to paragraph (2) of subsection a. of this section and make the information available to the public in a clear and understandable manner on its Internet site.
4. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
The bill implements recommendation #5 (strengthen oversight and accountability: New Jersey Department of Education) of the March 2006 report of the New Jersey Commission of Investigation entitled “Taxpayers Beware: What You Don’t Know Can Cost You”. The bill requires the State Board of Education, in consultation with interested parties, to establish standards for employment contracts between school districts and superintendents of schools, assistant superintendent of schools, and school business administrators. The standards would include, but need not be limited to, the types of compensation and benefit provisions which are deemed appropriate under such contracts. In the case of employment contracts for superintendents of schools, the standards would include the appropriate duration of the employment contract. The State board would also be required to define what is reasonable and acceptable reimbursement for job-related expenses, such as food and travel, incurred by these officials and would establish standards for the mechanisms to be utilized by districts in enforcing the limitations on expenditures.
Under the provisions of this bill, a school district would be required to submit proposed employment contracts for superintendents of schools, assistant superintendents of schools, and school business administrators to the Department of Education prior to execution of the contract. Within two weeks of the submission the department is required to inform the district as to whether or not the contract meets the standards it has established.
A school district would also be required to provide the department with a copy of the current employment contracts of the superintendent of schools, assistant superintendent of schools, and school business administrator upon execution of the contract, and any updates to the contract whenever it is renegotiated or amended. The district must also provide certain other information to the department regarding these officials, including the amount of total compensation, the person’s base salary, any other cash compensation in addition to base salary, and such other information as the department deems necessary.
The department is required to make available for public inspection at the appropriate county superintendent’s office copies of the employment contracts. The department must also compile the information collected from the districts on compensation and make that information available to the public in a clear and understandable manner on its Internet site.
