Bill Text: NJ A4633 | 2014-2015 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Establishes uniform timelines for charter schools to accept applications, conduct lottery, and notify parents of students' acceptance.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2015-06-29 - Introduced, Referred to Assembly Education Committee [A4633 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2014-A4633-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Assemblyman GARY S. SCHAER
District 36 (Bergen and Passaic)
SYNOPSIS
Establishes uniform timelines for charter schools to accept applications, conduct lottery, and notify parents of students' acceptance.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning charter school enrollment and supplementing P.L.1995, c.426 (C.18A:36A-1 et seq.).
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. A charter school shall complete its initial acceptance of applications for enrollment for the following school year by April 1 of the current school year. If there are more applications to enroll in the charter school for the following school year than there are spaces available, the charter school shall complete its initial random selection process, as required by subsection a. of section 8 of P.L.1995, c.426 (C.18A:36A-8), by May 1 of the current school year. A charter school shall notify the parents of students who have been accepted for enrollment for the following school year based upon the initial application period and random selection process, if applicable, by May 15 of the current school year.
b. A charter school shall annually provide public notice of the April 1 deadline for its initial acceptance of applications for enrollment for the following school year.
c. A charter school's initial random selection process, if applicable, shall be open to the public. A student or parent's attendance at the random selection process, or at any meetings prior to the random selection process, shall not be required for a student to be selected for enrollment.
d. Nothing in this section shall prohibit a charter school from accepting additional applications for enrollment for the following school year if vacancies remain after the completion of its initial application period and random selection process pursuant to subsection a. of this section.
2. This act shall take effect in the first full school year following the date of enactment.
STATEMENT
This bill establishes uniform timelines for charter schools with regard to their initial application and acceptance process. Under the bill, charter schools must complete their initial acceptance of student applications for enrollment for the following school year by no later than April 1 of the current school year. Under current law, section 8 of P.L.1995, c.426 (C.18A:36A-8), if there are more applications to enroll in the charter school than there are spaces available, the charter school must use a random selection process to select students to attend. This bill provides that charter schools must complete the random selection process by May 1 of the current school year. The bill also provides that charter schools must notify the parents of students who have been accepted for enrollment for the following school year by May 15 of the current school year.
In addition, the bill requires charter schools to provide public notice of the April 1 deadline for the acceptance of applications. The bill also provides that a charter school's initial random selection process will be open to the public. A student or parent's attendance at the random selection process or at any meetings prior to the random selection process will not be required for a student to be selected for enrollment.
Notwithstanding the timelines outlined in the bill, a charter school may accept additional applications for enrollment if vacancies remain after the completion of its initial application period and initial random selection process.
