Schools in urban areas, like Trenton and Newark, are most likely to be affected by the bill if it becomes law, its sponsor said
TRENTON -- A proposal that would mandate a longer school day in New Jersey districts with extremely low reading scores has cleared its first legislative hurdle, despite uncertainty about how much it would cost.
The state Assembly Education Committee on Thursday approved a bill (A4779) from Democratic lawmakers that declares an "educational state of emergency" in districts where 75 percent of schools have more than 65 percent of students scoring below proficient in language arts.
The bill would require the state to give those districts a yet-to-be-determined amount of supplemental funding to expand the school day by 2 1/2 hours for grades K-3. Schools could use the extra time to do whatever they want, including literacy support for struggling students or recreational activities.
"If (students) are not successful at third grade, they are lost," said Assemblyman Reed Gusciora, the bill's primary sponsor. "And they have a whole host of social problems afterward."
It's unclear exactly how many districts would receive the state of emergency designation under the lawmakers' proposal. New Jersey has yet to release a full report on 2015 district and school results of its new state tests -- the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers exams -- and Gusciora said those assessments alone shouldn't be used to decide whether a school needs assistance.
Gusciora (D-Mercer) was asked during the Monday's hearing about the cost of the bill, but he said he couldn't provide an answer.
A similar program in Massachusetts costs about $15 million, Gusciora said, but New Jersey's Office of Legislative Services still needs to calculate an estimate.
Schools in urban areas, like Trenton and Newark, are most likely to be affected by the bill if it becomes law, Gusciora said. Some schools in those districts had more than 70 percent of students score below proficient on their 2013-14 state language arts exams.
Families in those districts might be grateful for a longer school day, Gusciora said.
"We have many students who are raised by single parents, we have parents that are working two, three jobs that are not able to guide their kids," he said. "By extending the school day, I think this is a win for everyone."
Assemblyman David Rible (R-Monmouth) questioned whether the state should give urban districts more money because they fall into Gusciora's state of emergency category.
Urban districts receive significantly more state funding per-pupil than suburban districts.
"How much more are they going to get?" asked Rible, who voted against the proposal.
Though the bill won its first approval, it could be back before the Assembly committee again.
New Jersey's two-year legislative cycle ends on Jan. 12, and all bills not passed by the full state Senate and Assembly must be reintroduced and begin start the legislative process over again.
Gusciora said he considers the bill a work in progress.
Adam Clark may be reached at adam_clark@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on twitter at @realAdamClark. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
