Bill Text: NJ A1351 | 2010-2011 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Provides that tuition assistance or additional compensation for graduate degree provided under employment contracts for certain school district administrators may only be provided if degree is conferred by accredited institution.
Spectrum: Moderate Partisan Bill (Republican 5-1)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2010-01-12 - Introduced, Referred to Assembly Education Committee [A1351 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2010-A1351-Introduced.html
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
214th LEGISLATURE
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2010 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman MARY PAT ANGELINI
District 11 (Monmouth)
Assemblyman DECLAN J. O'SCANLON, JR.
District 12 (Mercer and Monmouth)
Assemblywoman CAROLINE CASAGRANDE
District 12 (Mercer and Monmouth)
Assemblyman DAVID P. RIBLE
District 11 (Monmouth)
Co-Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman Handlin and Assemblyman Gusciora
SYNOPSIS
Provides that tuition assistance or additional compensation for graduate degree provided under employment contracts for certain school district administrators may only be provided if degree is conferred by accredited institution.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel
An Act concerning the contracts of certain school administrators 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 standards adopted by the Commissioner of Education for the review and approval of employment contracts for superintendents of schools, assistant superintendents of schools, and school business administrators pursuant to subsection j. of N.J.S.18A:7-8 shall include a requirement that in the event that the contract provides tuition assistance for graduate school coursework or additional compensation upon the acquisition of a graduate degree, such tuition assistance or compensation may only be provided if the graduate degree is conferred by a duly authorized institution of higher education as defined in section 3 of P.L.1986, c.87 (C.18A:3-15.3).
2. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
In April of 2007, the Legislature enacted the CORE package of legislation that implemented various oversight and accountability measures for public school districts and administrators in those districts. One of the provisions of that legislation directed the executive county superintendent of schools to review and approve, according to standards adopted by the Commissioner of Education, all employment contracts for superintendents of schools, assistant superintendents of schools, and school business administrators prior to the execution of those contracts.
This bill provides that the standards adopted by the commissioner for the approval of such employment contracts must include a requirement that in the event that the contract provides tuition assistance for graduate school coursework or additional compensation upon acquisition of a graduate degree, the tuition assistance or additional compensation may only be provided if the degree is conferred by a duly authorized institution.
The purpose of this bill is to address the fact that some school districts have provided tuition assistance for graduate level coursework and additional compensation to school administrators upon attainment of a graduate degree completed at an out-of-state institution that is not considered by the State of New Jersey to be a duly authorized institution. Under current law in the case of an institution located outside of New Jersey, a duly authorized institution is one that is licensed by the appropriate state agency and regionally accredited or seeking accreditation by the appropriate accrediting body recognized by the Council on Postsecondary Education or the United States Department of Education.
