Bill Text: NJ S149 | 2010-2011 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Establishes a State aid program for charter school facilities.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2010-01-12 - Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Education Committee [S149 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2010-S149-Introduced.html
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
214th LEGISLATURE
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2010 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Senator ANTHONY R. BUCCO
District 25 (Morris)
SYNOPSIS
Establishes a State aid program for charter school facilities.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel
An Act concerning charter school facilities aid 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. In addition to the funds to which a charter school is entitled pursuant to section 12 of P.L.1995, c.426 (C.18A:36A-12) or any other law, the State shall make annual facilities aid payments directly to each charter school. For the 2009-2010 school year, the facilities aid received by a charter school shall equal $1800 multiplied by the charter school's projected enrollment. For subsequent school years, the per pupil facilities aid amount shall be inflated by the CPI as defined in section 3 of P.L.2007, c.260 (C.18A:7F-45).
The charter school's projected enrollment shall be adjusted based on average daily enrollment for facilities aid purposes.
b. A charter school shall appropriate State facilities aid in a special revenue account and shall use the aid for expenses including, but not limited to, the rental or lease of facilities, lease-purchase payments, renovations and repairs, maintenance, and mortgage and utilities payments. The commissioner shall define allowable facilities aid expenditures and shall track the specific purposes of those expenditures. Pursuant to section 10 of P.L.1995, c.426 (C.18A:36A-10), State facilities aid shall not be used to construct a facility.
c. Facilities aid received by a charter school which is not expended during the budget year shall be carried forward and available to the charter school in subsequent budget years, and the State facilities aid for which the charter school is eligible in subsequent budget years shall not be reduced by any carry forward amount.
2. This act shall take effect immediately and shall first apply to the 2009-2010 school year.
STATEMENT
This bill establishes a category of State aid for charter school facilities. Under the bill's provisions, beginning in the 2009-2010 school year, the State will pay directly to each charter school State facilities aid in the amount of $1800 multiplied by the charter school's projected student enrollment. In subsequent school years, the per pupil amount will be adjusted by the CPI. Also, for facilities aid purposes, a charter school's projected enrollment will be adjusted based on average daily enrollment.
The State facilities aid for charter schools could be used for expenses such as the rental or lease of facilities, lease-purchase payments, renovations and repairs, maintenance, and mortgage and utilities payments. The commissioner will define allowable facilities aid expenditures and track the specific purposes of those expenditures. The bill maintains the current prohibition against the use of public funds for the construction of charter school facilities.
The bill provides that if the State aid for facilities received by a charter school in the budget year is not expended during that budget year, those funds will be carried forward and available to the charter school in subsequent budget years.
