LEGISLATIVE FISCAL ESTIMATE
SENATE COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR
SENATE, Nos. 2498 and 2505
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
221st LEGISLATURE
DATED: OCTOBER 18, 2024
SUMMARY
Synopsis: Requires Commissioner of Education to establish and maintain
educator common application and web portal.
Type of Impact: Potential annual State expenditure increase.
Agencies Affected: Department of Education.
Office of Legislative Services Estimate
Fiscal Impact Year 1 Year 2 and Thereafter
Potential State Expenditure Increase $100,000 to $500,000 Indeterminate
 The Office of Legislative Services (OLS) concludes that this bill may result in increased annual
costs to the Department of Education for the establishment and maintenance of a common
application and web portal through which an individual may seek employment in a public
school. Costs incurred by the department may be limited to the extent that it uses existing
resources to reconstruct an existing website or portal, as permitted by the bill.
 If the department builds a new common application and web portal without using existing
resources, or contracts with a third party vendor to do so, the OLS estimates initial startup costs
in the range of $100,000 to $500,000.
 Maintenance costs following the initial year of implementation are indeterminate.
BILL DESCRIPTION
This bill requires the Commissioner of Education to establish and maintain an educator
common application and web portal. The web portal is to allow candidates who have been issued
a certificate necessary to seek employment in a public school, including a substitute teacher
credential, to submit a single common application to apply for employment at the public schools
of the State. The bill authorizes the department to contract with a private vendor to establish and
Office of Legislative Services Legislative Budget and Finance Office
State House Annex Phone (609) 847-3105
P.O. Box 068 Fax (609) 777-2442
Trenton, New Jersey 08625 www.njleg.state.nj.us
 FE to SCS for S2498
2
maintain the portal. The department may also reconstruct an existing website that it operates to
meet the requirements of the bill.
FISCAL ANALYSIS
EXECUTIVE BRANCH
None received.
OFFICE OF LEGISLATIVE SERVICES
The OLS concludes that this bill may result in increased annual costs to the Department of
Education for the establishment and maintenance of a common application and web portal through
which an individual may seek employment in a public school. Costs as a result of the bill may be
minimized to the extent the department uses existing resources and staff to reconstruct an existing
website or portal, as permitted by the bill.
If the department builds a new common application and web portal without using existing
resources, or contracts with a third party vendor to do so, the OLS estimates initial startup costs in
the range of $100,000 to $500,000. 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. 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. The magnitude of the maintenance costs again could vary
depending on factors such as the extent to which current resources and staff are deployed to
maintain an existing, reconstructed website or portal or, conversely, whether a new common
application or portal is maintained by departmental staff or by a contracted 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.).