Sponsored by:
Senator MICHAEL J. DOHERTY
District 23 (Hunterdon, Somerset and Warren)
SYNOPSIS
Provides additional State school aid to, and increases tax levy growth limitation for, certain school districts experiencing significant increase in tuition costs; appropriates $1,719,000 from Property Tax Relief Fund to DOE.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act providing assistance for tuition costs to certain school districts, supplementing P.L.2007, c.62 (C.18A:7F-37 et al.) and P.L.2007, c.260 (C.18A:7F-43 et al.), and making an appropriation.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. For the 2014-2015 school year budget, the tax levy growth limitation calculated pursuant to section 3 of P.L.2007, c.62 (C.18A:7F-38) for an eligible district shall be increased by an amount equal to 5% of the sum of the eligible district's adequacy budget, special education categorical aid, and security categorical aid for the 2012-2013 school year, as calculated prior to the application of the State aid growth limit pursuant to section 5 of P.L.2007, c.260 (C.18A:7F-47).
b. As used in this section, "eligible district" means a school district that meets the following criteria:
(1) is located in a county of the third class;
(2) operates grades kindergarten, or prekindergarten, through 8;
(3) pursuant to N.J.S.18A:38-8, is in a sending-receiving relationship with an SDA district, as defined pursuant to section 3 of P.L.2000, c.72 (C.18A:7G-3), in which at least 50% of the students on roll in grades 9 through 12 reside in a district other than the SDA district;
(4) experienced an increase in the per pupil tuition rate for students enrolled in grades 9 through 12, as certified by the Department of Education, of at least 75% between the 2007-2008 and 2011-2012 school years;
(5) as of the last school day prior to October 16, 2010, the students from the sending district comprised at least 5% of the total enrollment of the students in the grades of the SDA district in which the students of the sending district were enrolled; and
(6) in the 2012-2013 school year, the district's prebudget year spending, as determined by the Department of Education for the purpose of determining the school district's State aid growth limit pursuant to section 5 of P.L.2007, c.260 (C.18A:7F-47), is at least 5% less than the sum of the eligible district's adequacy budget, special education categorical aid, and security categorical aid, as calculated prior to the application of the State aid growth limit.
2. a. In the 2014-2015 school year, and in each school year thereafter, an eligible district shall receive tuition assistance aid to be calculated as follows:
TAA = (0.9 x AdqBud) - AdqSpend, where
TAA is the tuition assistance aid;
AdqBud is the school district's adequacy budget in the 2012-2013 school year, as determined by the Department of Education for the purpose of determining the school district's State aid growth limit pursuant to section 5 of P.L.2007, c.260 (C.18A:7F-47); and
AdqSpend is the school district's spending in the 2012-2013 school year, as determined by the Department of Education for the purpose of determining the school district's State aid growth limit pursuant to section 5 of P.L.2007, c.260 (C.18A:7F-47).
b. As used in this section, "eligible district" means a school district that meets the following criteria:
(1) is located in a county of the third class;
(2) operates grades kindergarten, or prekindergarten, through 8;
(3) pursuant to N.J.S.18A:38-8, is in a sending-receiving relationship with an SDA district, as defined pursuant to section 3 of P.L.2000, c.72 (C.18A:7G-3), in which at least 50% of the students on roll in grades 9 through 12 reside in a district other than the SDA district;
(4) experienced an increase in the per pupil tuition rate for students enrolled in grades 9 through 12, as certified by the Department of Education, of at least 75% between the 2007-2008 and 2011-2012 school years;
(5) as of the last school day prior to October 16, 2010, the students from the sending district comprised at least 5% of the total enrollment of the students in the grades of the SDA district in which the students of the sending district were enrolled; and
(6) in the 2012-2013 school year, the district's prebudget year spending, as determined by the Department of Education for the purpose of determining the school district's State aid growth limit pursuant to section 5 of P.L.2007, c.260 (C.18A:7F-47), is at least 5% less than the sum of the eligible district's adequacy budget, special education categorical aid, and security categorical aid, as calculated prior to the application of the State aid growth limit.
3. There is appropriated from the Property Tax Relief Fund to the Department of Education the sum of $1,719,000 to effectuate the provisions of this act.
4. Sections 1 and 2 of this act shall take effect immediately, and section 3 of this act shall take effect July 1, 201 4.
STATEMENT
This bill provides additional State school aid to, and increases the tax levy growth limitation for, certain school districts involved in sending-receiving relationships that have experienced a significant increase in the certified tuition rate of the receiving district. Under the bill, in the 2014-2015 school year, the tax levy growth limitation for an eligible district would be increased by an amount equal to 5% of the sum of the district's adequacy budget, special education categorical aid, and security categorical aid, as calculated by the Department of Education for the 2012-2013 school year prior to the application of the State aid growth limitation.
Additionally, in the 2014-2015 school year, and in each school year thereafter, an eligible district would receive tuition assistance aid in an amount equal to the difference between 90% of the sum of the district's adequacy budget, special education categorical aid, and security categorical, as calculated by the Department of Education for the 2012-2013 school year prior to the application of the State aid growth limitation, and the district's prebudget year spending, as determined by the Department of Education for the purpose of determining the school district's State aid growth limit.
The bill defines an eligible district as one that: is located in a county of the third class; operates grades kindergarten (or prekindergarten) through eight; is in a sending-receiving relationship with an SDA (or former Abbott) district in which at least 50% of the students on roll in grades 9 through 12 reside outside the district; has experienced an increase in the certified tuition rate of at least 75% between the 2007-2008 and 2011-2012 school years; as of October 15, 2010, its students accounted for at least 5% of the total enrollment in the grades of the SDA district in which students from the sending district were enrolled; and, in the 2012-2013 school year, is spending at least 5% below adequacy, as determined by the Department of Education for the purpose of determining the district's State aid growth limit. The school districts that satisfy these criteria are Alpha Borough, Greenwich Township, and Lopatcong Township School Districts, in Warren County.