ASSEMBLY, No. 1689

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

INTRODUCED MARCH 4, 1996

By Assemblyman FELICE

An Act concerning the transportation of school pupils and supplementing chapter 39 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. The Commissioner of Education shall authorize either a local school board of education, an educational services commission, an established organization providing cooperative services or an organization established by the county superintendent pursuant to this section, to coordinate, and where appropriate, provide transportation to and from school for pupils in each county or other defined region determined by the commissioner.

    b. Any school district responsible for the transportation of pupils to and from a school other than a local district school pursuant to N.J.S.18A:39-1 shall have the transportation of these pupils provided by the organization designated by the Commissioner except when the local district can provide transportation at a lower cost than the regional organization.

    c. Any school district that has in the prior year provided payments in-lieu of providing transportation for any non-public student pursuant to N.J.S.18A:39-1 shall attempt to provide transportation through the organization designated by the Commissioner prior to determining to pay aid in-lieu of providing transportation. If the costs to provide transportation by the organization designated by the Commissioner is less than the in-lieu payments the organization shall provide transportation.

    d. The county superintendents shall undertake to coordinate the calendars and schedules of the public schools to facilitate the coordination of transportation of pupils to and from school in their respective county or other region defined by the commissioner.

    2. This act shall take effect immediately and shall first apply to the 1995-1996 school year.

STATEMENT

    This bill requires the coordination of districts providing transportation of students to and from school within a county or other defined region to produce the efficient transportation of students throughout the State.

    This bill would require the Commissioner of Education to designate local school boards of education or education service commissions to coordinate and, where appropriate, provide transportation for students within a county or other defined region. This bill would require the coordinating agency rather than a local school board of education to provide the transportation of students attending a nonpublic school outside a school board's district, pursuant to N.J.S.18A:39-1, if at a lower cost than the school board could provide transportation or pay in-lieu of providing transportation.

    This bill would also require each county superintendent to seek to coordinate the calendars and schedules of the public schools in their respective counties or other region defined by the commissioner to facilitate the coordination of transportation of pupils to and from school throughout the State.

Requires the development of regionalized pupil transportation.