LEGISLATIVE FISCAL ESTIMATE
SENATE, No. 2505
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
221st LEGISLATURE
DATED: OCTOBER 3, 2024
SUMMARY
Synopsis: Requires Commissioner of Education to establish and maintain an
educator common application and web portal.
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 an educator common
application and web portal through which a teacher may apply for employment 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 educators and a web portal, which is required to be fully operational within 90 days of the bill’s
effective date. The purpose of the web portal is to allow an educator to submit a single common
application to apply for employment at a public school in the State. The bill permits the department
to contract with a private vendor to effectuate the bill’s purposes.
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
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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
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.).