Bill Text: NJ A591 | 2012-2013 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Establishes Office of Minority Teacher Recruitment in Department of Education.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2012-01-10 - Introduced, Referred to Assembly Education Committee [A591 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2012-A591-Introduced.html
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
215th LEGISLATURE
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2012 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman L. GRACE SPENCER
District 29 (Essex)
Assemblyman ALBERT COUTINHO
District 29 (Essex)
SYNOPSIS
Establishes Office of Minority Teacher Recruitment in Department of Education.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel
An Act establishing the Office of Minority Teacher Recruitment in the Department of Education and supplementing chapter 6 of Title 18A of the New Jersey Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. There is established in the Department of Education the Office of Minority Teacher Recruitment. The objective of the office shall be to assist public school districts in recruiting minority candidates to fill vacant teaching, administrative and paraprofessional positions.
b. The Commissioner of Education shall appoint an executive director qualified by training and experience to serve, at the pleasure of the commissioner, as administrator of the Office of Minority Teacher Recruitment. The executive director shall devote his full time to the performance of his duties and shall receive such salary as shall be fixed by the commissioner.
The commissioner shall direct the executive director to employ personnel as necessary to assist the executive director in performing the duties set forth in this section. Employees shall receive such salary as shall be fixed by the commissioner.
c. The Office of Minority Teacher Recruitment shall recruit minority candidates to fill positions in teaching and administration in the public schools of the State. At a minimum, the office shall:
(1) hold at least one annual Statewide job fair to bring minority candidates for employment in teaching, administrative and paraprofessional positions together with school district employers;
(2) create an Internet job board, post on the job board descriptions of teaching and paraprofessional staff vacancies provided to the office by school districts pursuant to subsection d. of this section, and publicize the job board to minority teachers, administrators and paraprofessionals and to minority students at accredited institutions of higher education;
(3) maintain an updated library that includes resumes of minority candidates, publications relevant to minority teacher job placement, and information on mentoring programs;
(4) establish volunteer mentoring programs for minority individuals, including elementary and secondary school pupils, interested in pursuing a career in education;
(5) research and implement the best policies and procedures for recruiting minority candidates for public school districts;
(6) research minority scholarship opportunities in education for graduates of New Jersey's public schools;
(7) provide in-service training to the appropriate school staff on methods of attracting minority candidates and supporting minority personnel; and
(8) apply for and accept any grants of money from the federal government, private foundations or other sources that will further the work of the office.
d. The board of education of a public school district shall provide the Office of Minority Teacher Recruitment with a full description of each vacant teaching, administrative and paraprofessional staff position within the district when the position becomes vacant.
2. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill establishes the Office of Minority Teacher Recruitment in the Department of Education. The objective of the office would be to assist public schools in recruiting minority candidates to fill vacant teaching, administrative and paraprofessional positions.
Under the bill, school districts throughout the State would be required to provide the Office of Minority Teacher Recruitment with a full description of each vacant teaching, administrative and paraprofessional staff position that becomes available in a district. The Office of Minority Teacher Recruitment would provide an ongoing program to recruit minority candidates to fill these positions. The office would at a minimum: hold at least one annual Statewide job fair to bring minority candidates for employment in teaching, administrative and paraprofessional positions together with school district employers; create an Internet job board, post on the job board descriptions of teaching, administrative and paraprofessional staff vacancies provided to the office by school districts as required under the bill, and publicize the job board to minority teachers, administrators and paraprofessionals and to minority students at accredited institutions of higher education; maintain an updated library that includes resumes of minority candidates, publications relevant to minority teacher job placement, and information on mentoring programs; establish volunteer mentoring programs for minority individuals, including elementary and secondary school pupils, interested in pursuing a career in education; research and implement the best policies and procedures for recruiting minority candidates for public school districts; research minority scholarship opportunities in education for graduates of New Jersey's public schools; provide in-service training to the appropriate school staff on methods of attracting minority candidates and supporting minority personnel; and apply for and accept any grants of money from the federal government, private foundations or other sources that will further the work of the office.
