Gov. Chris Christie signed legislation Friday that doubles the size of a teacher arbitration panel in New Jersey.
The measure had passed unanimously in the Assembly and state Senate.
The new measure amends a 2012 law that established binding arbitration in contested cases over dismissal or reduced pay for tenured teachers.
The new law increases the panel of arbitrators from 25 to 50.
Republican Assemblyman Declan O'Scanlon sponsored the legislation and says it was needed to relieve a backlog of cases.
"There's a lot of work to do. There's a lot of work that needs to be done quicker. It's a win-win," he said.
He could not say specifically how large the backlog was.
The arbitrators are chosen by the New Jersey Education Association, the American Federation of Teachers, the New Jersey School Boards Association, and the New Jersey Principals and Supervisors Association.
