ASSEMBLY, No. 2659

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

INTRODUCED JANUARY 14, 1997

By Assemblymen ROMANO and GARCIA

An Act concerning early childhood program aid and amending P.L.1996, c. 138.

    Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

    1. Section 16 of P.L.1996, c.138 (C.18A:7F-16) is amended to read as follows:

    16. Early childhood program aid shall be distributed to all school districts with high concentrations of low-income pupils, for the purpose of providing full-day kindergarten and preschool classes and other early childhood programs and services.

    For districts in which the concentration of low income pupils is equal to or greater than 20% and less than 40%, aid shall be distributed according to the following formula: 

    Aid             =         A1       x          Modified District Enrollment.

    For districts in which the concentration of low income pupils is equal to or greater than 40 %, aid shall be distributed according to the following formula for the purpose of expanding instructional services previously specified to 3 year olds, or of providing, in addition to the instructional services previously specified, transition and social services to primary grade students:

    Aid             =         A2       X         Modified District Enrollment

where

    A1  =         $465; and

    A2  =         $750.

    For the 1998-1999 school year, the per pupil funding amounts shall be these amounts multiplied by the CPI. For subsequent years, the amounts shall be established biennially in the Report on the Cost of Providing a Thorough and Efficient Education and shall be derived from cost analyses of appropriate programmatic applications of these funds as identified in the report. The amounts shall be adjusted for inflation by the CPI in the second year of the period to which the report applies.

    County vocational school districts and limited purpose regional high school districts meeting the eligibility criteria of this section shall receive aid payable under this section as demonstrably effective program aid in addition to amounts received pursuant to section 18 of this act.

    Each district which receives early childhood program aid shall submit to the commissioner for approval an operational plan that shall be a subset of the district's comprehensive strategic plan, to establish preschool and full-day kindergarten for all four and five year olds by the 2001-2002 school year and to maintain them thereafter. Districts shall appropriate the aid in a special revenue fund for expenditure, but may place all or a portion of the aid in a capital reserve account during the first four years to establish facilities for these purposes. During the first four school years following enactment of this act, districts may use early childhood program aid for educationally meritorious programs or for the purpose of constructing new school facilities or enlarging existing school facilities for use by pupils other than those enrolled in early childhood programs, provided the new or enlarged facilities are used for and are adequate to house the planned early childhood programs or the use of the new or enlarged facilities will make space available for the planned early childhood programs in existing district facilities. Districts which maintain progress consistent with the implementation plan may also use the funds for demonstrably effective programs pursuant to section 18 prior to establishing the programs required pursuant to this section. The commissioner shall establish guidelines to track the specific purposes of expenditures under this section.

(cf: P.L.1996, c.138, s.16)

    2. This act shall take effect immediately.

STATEMENT

    This bill provides that early childhood program aid may also be used for new or enlarged facilities when those facilities will make space available for the planned early childhood programs in existing district facilities.

Provides that early childhood program aid may be used for certain facilities.