LEGISLATIVE FISCAL ESTIMATE
ASSEMBLY, No. 4304
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
221st LEGISLATURE
DATED: JUNE 28, 2024
SUMMARY
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Synopsis: |
Requires school districts to provide training and coaching to certain teachers on student literacy and reading interventions; requires DOE to establish program for literacy coaches. |
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Type of Impact: |
Annual expenditure increase to the State and local school districts. |
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Agencies Affected: |
Department of Education; local school districts. |
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Office of Legislative Services Estimate |
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Fiscal Impact |
Annual |
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State Expenditure Increase |
Indeterminate |
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Local Expenditure Increase |
Indeterminate |
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· The Office of Legislative Services (OLS) concludes that this bill will lead to an indeterminate increase in expenditures related to the Department of Education’s establishment and implementation of a program for the certification of literacy coaches in public schools.
· The primary cost to the State would be the provision of stipends to teachers that become literacy coaches pursuant to the bill and additional stipends to literacy coaches that provide coaching support to other teachers. Since the bill gives authority to the department to determine the amount of the stipends authorized under the bill, the OLS is not able to estimate the magnitude of the cost to the State.
· Local school districts are also expected to experience cost increases related to providing certain literacy training and ongoing coaching support to teachers, to the extent that the districts do not currently provide the services required by the bill.
BILL DESCRIPTION
This bill requires school districts to provide training and coaching to teachers regarding student literacy and reading interventions necessary for students with reading deficiencies.
Under the bill, a school district is required to annually provide training to any teacher in grades kindergarten through 12 who provides reading interventions to students that exhibit a reading deficiency, and any teaching staff member holding an educational services certificate with a reading specialist endorsement. Additionally, the bill requires a school district to provide kindergarten through grade 12 teachers with ongoing coaching support to aid in the delivery of reading interventions.
The bill requires the Department of Education, in consultation with Commissioner of Education-approved educator preparation program providers in the State, to establish and implement a “train the trainer” program for the creation of literacy coaches in public schools. Reading specialists are to provide instruction to interested teachers. The department is required to issue a literary coach certificate to any teacher who completes the training, provided the teacher submits proof of completion on a form as determined by the department. Under the bill, a literacy coach is to receive a one-time stipend from the department for completion of the program and additional stipends in future years if the coach provides coaching support to other teachers. The stipend is to be in an amount determined by the department and subject to available funds.
FISCAL ANALYSIS
EXECUTIVE BRANCH
None received.
OFFICE OF LEGISLATIVE SERVICES
The OLS concludes that this bill will lead to an indeterminate increase in expenditures for the Department of Education to establish and implement a program for the creation of literacy coaches in public schools. Local school districts are also expected to experience cost increases related to providing certain literacy training and support to teachers, to the extent that the districts do not currently provide the services required by the bill.
State Costs
The bill requires the Department of Education to develop and implement a program for the creation and certification of literacy coaches in public schools. Any teacher who becomes certified as a literacy coach pursuant to the bill may receive a stipend from the department for completion of the training program and potentially additional stipends in future years for providing literacy coaching support pursuant to the bill.
The primary cost to the State would be the provision of stipends to literacy coaches. Since the bill gives authority to the department to determine the amount of the stipends authorized under the bill, the OLS is not able to estimate the magnitude of the cost to the State. For a frame of reference, the OLS notes that the State of Indiana recently announced that teachers completing certain literacy training will receive stipends of up to $1,200. According to the New Jersey Department of Education’s School Performance Reports for the 2022-2023 school year, there are 11,603 English/Language Arts/Literacy teachers in the State. While it is unknown how many teachers will inevitably receive stipends pursuant to the bill in any year, for illustrative purposes only, the State may incur costs of $2.8 million per year if 20 percent of the number of English/Language Arts/Literacy teachers (2,320 teachers) each receive one $1,200 stipend.
The OLS notes that the department may also experience cost increases associated with the development and implementation of the program to train literacy coaches and the issuance of the literacy coach certificates.
Costs to Local School Districts
The bill requires school districts to provide two services that would likely increase costs, to the extent that the districts do not currently provide the required services. First, the bill requires school districts to provide annual literacy and reading intervention training to teachers in grades kindergarten through 12 that provide reading interventions to students that exhibit reading deficiencies. To the extent that school districts do not currently provide training that meets the requirements of the bill, there may be an increase in costs to the school district to provide training to qualifying teachers.
Additionally, the bill requires school districts to provide ongoing coaching support to any teacher employed in grades kindergarten through 12 to assist in the delivery of reading interventions. The coaching may result in an increase in costs to the school district to the extent that there is no one employed by the school district who is able to provide the coaching required.
While the OLS determines that school district costs under the bill are indeterminate, it notes that a recent news article indicated a $1,500 per teacher price for a five-day, 30- hour intensive teacher literacy training program. For illustrative purposes, multiplying this price by 7,000 teachers Statewide (roughly 60 percent of the number of English/Language Arts/Literacy teachers in the State) yields total school district costs of $10.5 million.
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Section: |
Education |
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Analyst: |
Associate Fiscal Analyst
Christopher Myles Senior Fiscal Analyst |
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Approved: |
Thomas Koenig Legislative Budget and Finance Officer |
This legislative fiscal estimate has been produced by the Office of Legislative Services due to the failure of the Executive Branch to respond to our request for a fiscal note.
This fiscal estimate has been prepared pursuant to P.L.1980, c.67 (C.52:13B-6 et seq.).