5. a. Notwithstanding the provisions of section 2 of P.L.1995, c.294 (C. 18A:6-31.4) or of any other law, rule, or regulation to the contrary, whenever a regional district is formed following the approval of an application pursuant to section 4 of P.L.2021, c.402 (C. 18A:13-47.4):

(1) the salary guide and terms and conditions of employment, whether established through a collective negotiations agreement or past practice, of the largest constituent school district shall apply in full after three years following the formation of the regional district or until a successor agreement is negotiated with the majority representative of the new school district, whichever occurs first. The salary guide and terms and conditions of employment that will apply pursuant to the provisions of this subsection shall be based upon the terms and conditions of employment of the largest constituent district made up of only the identical grade levels. In the event that there is no constituent district made up of only the identical grade levels, the salary guide and terms and conditions of employment that will apply pursuant to the provisions of this subsection shall be based upon the terms and conditions of employment of the largest constituent district containing the identical grade levels; and

(2) in the event that there is an employee bargaining unit in a constituent school district with the next largest number of employees and with a majority representative of the unit, which is not so represented in the largest school district, the terms and conditions of employment for all employees holding positions in that unit in the newly formed regional district shall apply provided that the terms and conditions of employment shall only apply to the newly formed regional district’s employees in that bargaining unit.

b. Notwithstanding the provisions of the “New Jersey Employer-Employee Relations Act,” P.L.1941, c.100 (C. 34:13A-1 et seq.) or of any other law, rule, or regulation to the contrary, whenever a regional district is formed following the approval of an application pursuant to section 4 of P.L.2021, c.402 (C. 18A:13-47.4), the newly formed regional district shall recognize each majority representative of the existing bargaining units in the largest constituent district as the majority representatives of those separate bargaining units of employees, except that if the largest constituent district does not have a majority representative currently representing a classification of employees, then the majority representative of the next largest constituent district that represents a bargaining unit representing that classification of employees shall be recognized by the newly formed regional district as the majority representative of that classification of employees.

c. Notwithstanding any law, rule, or regulation to the contrary, beginning on the date upon which a school district submits an application pursuant to section 3 of P.L.2021, c.402 (C. 18A:13-47.3), the boards of education or governing bodies of any affected, constituent, replaced, displaced, or dissolved districts shall not enter into a subcontracting agreement which affects the employment of any employees in a collective bargaining unit represented by a majority representative until the date that the newly formed or existing limited purpose or all purpose regional district commences operations following the completion of the dissolution, displacement, merger, regionalization, or consolidation of the constituent districts at which time the provisions of P.L.2020, c.79 (C. 34:13A-44 et seq.) shall control.

d. As used in this section, “largest constituent school district” means the school district that employs the largest number of teaching staff members.

L.2021, c.402, s.5.