SENATE BILL NO. 3488

(Second Reprint)

 

 

To the Senate:

Pursuant to Article V, Section I, Paragraph 14 of the New Jersey Constitution, I herewith return Senate Bill No. 3488 (Second Reprint) with my recommendations for reconsideration.

Senate Bill No. 3488 (Second Reprint) modifies certain procedures pertaining to school district regionalization, establishes a grant program to reimburse districts for the costs associated with conducting regionalization feasibility studies, and provides financial incentives for regionalization.  In relevant part, the bill also delineates the voting rights of constituent districts that belong to a limited-purpose regional school district but opposed the formation of an all-purpose regional school district.

This bill dictates that, when a limited-purpose regional district is converted into an all-purpose regional district over the objection of a constituent district, the objecting district would be required to enter into a sending-receiving relationship with the newly-formed district.  A sending-receiving relationship is one in which a school district sends all or some of its students to attend the school(s) of another district.  The bill goes on to specify the voting rights afforded to sending district board members.

Importantly, current law already establishes the parameters of sending-receiving relationships, including the voting rights of all board members.  This bill would establish voting rights for sending district board members that differ from the rights that are already enshrined in statute.  In order to avoid the inevitable confusion that will result from two different standards governing the same circumstances, I am recommending modest revisions to this bill to ensure that the voting rights established for sending district board members remain consistent.

     Therefore, I herewith return Senate Bill No. 3488 (Second Reprint) and recommend that it be amended as follows:

Page 14, Section 16, Lines 38-39:  Delete “the following matters” and insert “any matter”

 

Page 14, Section 16, Line 40:      After “education” delete “:” and insert “on which a member of the board of education of a sending district is eligible to vote on before a receiving board of education as provided in N.J.S.A. 18A:38-8.1.”

 

Page 14, Section 16, Lines 41-47:  Delete in their entirety

 

Page 15, Section 16, Lines 1-9:    Delete in their entirety

 

                             Respectfully,

     [seal]

                             /s/ Philip D. Murphy

 

                             Governor

 

 

Attest:

 

/s/ Parimal Garg

 

Chief Counsel to the Governor