LEGISLATIVE FISCAL ESTIMATE

SENATE, No. 2498

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

221st LEGISLATURE

 

DATED: OCTOBER 3, 2024

 

 

SUMMARY

 

Synopsis:

Requires Commissioner of Education to establish and maintain common application and web portal for substitute teachers seeking employment at public schools.

Type of Impact:

Annual State expenditure increase.

Agencies Affected:

Department of Education.

 

 

Office of Legislative Services Estimate

Fiscal Impact

Year 1

Year 2 and Thereafter 

 

State Expenditure Increase

$100,000 to $500,000

Indeterminate

 

 

 

 

·         The Office of Legislative Services (OLS) concludes that this bill will result in increased costs to the Department of Education for the establishment and maintenance of a common application and web portal through which an individual may apply for employment as a substitute teacher in public schools.

 

·         The OLS estimates initial startup costs in the range of $100,000 to $500,000 to create the common application and web portal.  However, costs may be higher or lower than this range depending on the complexity of the features integrated into the common application and web portal and whether the platform is developed in house utilizing existing systems or contracted out to a vendor.  Maintenance costs following the initial year of implementation are indeterminate.

 

 

BILL DESCRIPTION

 

      This bill directs the Department of Education to establish and maintain a common application for substitute teachers and a web portal to which a substitute teacher may submit a single common application for employment at a public school in the State.  The common application is to be made available and the web portal is required to be fully operational within 90 days of the bill’s effective date.  The bill permits the department to contract with a private vendor to effectuate the bill’s purposes.

FISCAL ANALYSIS

 

EXECUTIVE BRANCH

 

      None received.

 

OFFICE OF LEGISLATIVE SERVICES

 

      The OLS concludes that this bill will result in increased costs to the Department of Education for the establishment and maintenance of a common application and web portal through which substitute teachers may apply for employment at a public school.

      The OLS estimates initial startup costs in the range of $100,000 to $500,000 to create the common application and web portal. However, costs may be higher or lower than this range depending on the complexity of the features integrated into the common application and web portal and whether the platform is developed in house utilizing existing systems or contracted out to a vendor.  With respect to costs on the higher end of the range, the OLS researched the costs of various information technology projects implemented in the State and outside of the State.  The initial start-up expenditures for the Teen Summer Working Hours Database, which enables minors to register for work permits, totaled slightly over $513,000 in FY 2023.  The OLS found that the Louisiana Office of Technology Services spent approximately $700,000 to construct a comprehensive website that provides information to the public about data and reports of state expenditures, contracts, incentive expenditures, revenues, and other financial matters.  The OLS assumes that the web portal contemplated in the bill would not need this level of functionality.  On the other end of the spectrum, the Colorado Department of Personnel and Administration estimated, in a recent fiscal note, the initial costs to create a state grant database at $135,000.  While it is not known how specifically these projects may compare to the common application and web portal to be established under the bill, the OLS provides information on these various costs for informational purposes.

      The costs to maintain the common application and web portal following the initial year of implementation are indeterminate and again could vary depending on whether the web portal is maintained by departmental staff or if it is contracted out to a third party vendor.

 

 

Section:

Education

Analyst:

Christopher Myles

Senior Fiscal Analyst

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.).