§1
C.18A:7F-71
§2
Approp.
An Act concerning State aid to certain school districts, supplementing P.L.2007, c.260 (C.18A:7F-43), and making an appropriation.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. In addition to any other State aid provided pursuant to P.L.2007, c.260 (C.18A:7F-43 et al.), a school district may receive military impact aid if, in the prebudget year, the school district received a Basic Support Payment of federal Impact Aid under section 7003 of the federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. s.7703) and the district provides free public education to federally connected children whose parents are on active duty in the uniformed services. The amount of military impact aid provided to a district pursuant to this section shall be calculated as follows:
MIA = (PPLTL - PPIA) x REFCMS
where
PPLTL is the per pupil general fund tax levy, which is derived by dividing the prebudget year general fund tax levy by resident enrollment, without the inclusion of federally connected children whose parents are on active duty in the uniformed services and who otherwise are included in the calculation of resident enrollment as defined pursuant to section 3 of P.L.2007, c.260 (C.18A:7F-45);
PPIA is the per pupil federal impact aid amount, which is the result of dividing the amount of a school district's Basic Support Payment received in the prebudget year by the number of federally connected children whose parents are on active duty in the uniformed services; and
REFCMS is the resident enrollment of federally connected children whose parents are on active duty in the uniformed services;
A school district shall not receive military impact aid pursuant to this section if the difference between PPTL and PPIA is negative.
2. Such sums as are necessary to provide additional aid to a school district for military impact aid determined pursuant to section 1 of this act are appropriated from the Property Tax Relief Fund to the Department of Education, subject to the approval of the Director of the Division of Budget and Accounting.
3. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill establishes an additional category of State school aid known as military impact aid. A school district would be eligible for this category of aid if it received a Basic Support Payment of federal Impact Aid in the prior fiscal year and the district provides free public education to federally connected children whose parents are on active duty in the uniformed services. The Federal Impact Aid Program provides financial assistance to school districts that include within their boundaries parcels of land owned by the federal government or that are exempt from local taxation by the federal government. Part of the Federal Impact Aid Program, which is authorized under Section 7003 of the federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act, provides for Basic Support Payments that help school districts that educate federally connected children, including the children of members of the uniformed services.
To determine the amount of aid a district would receive under the bill, a per pupil general fund tax levy amount would be calculated by dividing the prior fiscal year general fund tax levy by resident enrollment, without the inclusion of federally connected children whose parents are on active duty in the uniformed services. A per pupil federal impact aid amount would also be calculated by dividing the amount of a school district's Basic Support Payment received in the prior fiscal year by the number of federally connected children whose parents are on active duty in the uniformed services. The difference between these two per pupil amounts would then be multiplied by the number of federally connected children whose parents are on active duty in the uniformed services.
Authorizes supplemental State aid to school districts receiving certain federal Impact Aid; makes appropriation.