Bill Text: NJ S490 | 2014-2015 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Requires school districts to pay advanced placement examination fees for certain students and the State to reimburse school districts for the cost.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2014-01-14 - Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Education Committee [S490 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2014-S490-Introduced.html
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
216th LEGISLATURE
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2014 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Senator SANDRA B. CUNNINGHAM
District 31 (Hudson)
SYNOPSIS
Requires school districts to pay advanced placement examination fees for certain students and the State to reimburse school districts for the cost.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel
An Act concerning advanced placement examination fees for certain public school students and supplementing chapter 35 of Title 18A of the New Jersey Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. As used in this section:
"Advanced placement course" means a course aligned with the course descriptions provided by the College Board and intended to provide students with the opportunity to complete college level studies during secondary school; and
"Advanced placement examination" means the advanced placement examination conducted by the College Board, on the basis of which participating institutions of higher education award academic credit to a high school student who has completed an advanced placement course.
b. A school district shall pay advanced placement examination fees for public high school students from households with a household income at or below the most recent federal poverty guidelines multiplied by 1.85 that are not funded under the federal Advanced Placement Test Fee Program or by the College Board.
c. A school district shall pay advanced placement examination fees for public high school students from households with a household income above the most recent federal poverty guidelines multiplied by 1.85, but at or below the most recent federal poverty guidelines multiplied by 3.70.
d. Notwithstanding the provisions of subsections b. and c. of this section to the contrary, the amount paid by a school district for an advanced placement examination fee shall not exceed the amount that would to be paid by a school district for such fee on the effective date of this act.
e. The State shall reimburse each school district for the cost of the advanced placement examination fees paid by the school district pursuant to subsections b. and c. of this section.
2. This act shall take effect immediately and shall be first applicable to the 2013-2014 school year.
STATEMENT
This bill requires a school district to pay the advanced placement examination fees for certain students attending public high schools, starting with the 2013-2014 school year.
According to the College Board, the Department of Education currently receives federal funds to pay $45 of the $89 advanced placement examination fee for students with a household income at or below the most recent federal poverty guidelines multiplied by 1.85, who are residents of New Jersey, and qualify for a $26 per examination College Board fee reduction. If a student qualifies, then the $8 school processing fee is waived, leaving the student with a cost of $10 per examination. Under the bill, the school district will pay the $10 examination fee for those students. The household income for a family of four under the household income standard established in the bill for these students would not exceed $43,567.50 in calendar year 2013. This is the same standard established for student eligibility for free and reduced priced lunch.
In the case of a student with a household income greater than 1.85 multiplied by the federal poverty guidelines, but less than 3.70 multiplied by the federal poverty guidelines, the school district will pay the entire examination fee. In the case of these students, for a household of four, the income guidelines would not exceed $87,135 in calendar year 2013.
The bill further provides that the State will reimburse a school district for the cost of the advanced placement examination fees paid by the school district. The amount paid by a school district for an advanced placement examination fee may not exceed the amount that would be paid by a school for such fee on the effective date of this act.
