ASSEMBLY, No. 2965

 

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

 

INTRODUCED MAY 12, 1997

 

 

By Assemblymen MORAN and CONNORS

 

 

An Act establishing a Public School Educational Funding Commission.

 

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

 

    1. There is created a commission to be known as the "Public School Educational Funding Commission." The commission shall consist of nine members as follows: two members to be appointed by the President of the Senate, which members shall not be of the same political party; two members to be appointed by the Speaker of the General Assembly, which members shall not be of the same political party; four public members with knowledge and experience in the area of public and school finance to be appointed by the Governor, no more than two of whom shall be of the same political party; and the Commissioner of Education.

 

    2. All appointments shall be made within 30 days after the operative date of this act. Vacancies in the membership of the commission shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointments were made. Members of the commission shall serve without compensation.

 

    3. The commission shall organize within 30 days after the appointment of its members and shall select a chairperson and a vice chairperson from among its members and a secretary who need not be a member of the commission.

 

    4. It shall be the duty of the commission to study the issues associated with the funding of the public schools and to devise two alternative State revenue raising plans to fund the core curriculum content standards adopted by the State Board of Education in May of 1996. The State revenue raising plans shall provide for adequate funds to offset any loss of revenue due to the reduction in local real property taxes approved by the voters at the 1997 general election pursuant to the constitutional amendment set forth in SCR of 1997. The plans shall not recommend the use of revenue sources that would result in a reduction in the level of aid appropriated to municipalities, school districts, and counties and the level of aid appropriated for programs that provide a direct benefit to individuals, below the total levels of aid appropriated therefore in the annual appropriations act for the fiscal year in which SCR of 1997 is adopted.

 

    5. The commission shall be entitled to call to its assistance and avail itself of the services of the employees of any State, county or municipal department, board, bureau, commission or agency as it may require and as may be available to it for its purposes.

 

    6. The commission may meet and hold hearings at the place or places it designates during the sessions or recesses of the Legislature. The commission shall issue a final report containing the two alternative funding plans to the Governor and the Legislature no later than six months following its organizational meeting.

 

    7. This act shall take effect immediately and shall become operative upon the voters approval of ACR of 1997.

 

 

STATEMENT

 

    This bill creates a commission to be known as the "Public School Educational Funding Commission." The commission would consist of nine members selected as follows: two members to be appointed by the President of the Senate, which members shall not be of the same political party; two members to be appointed by the Speaker of the General Assembly, which members shall not be of the same political party; four public members with knowledge and experience in the area of public and school finance to be appointed by the Governor, no more than two of whom shall be members of the same political party; and the Commissioner of Education.

    It is the duty of the commission to study the issues associated with the funding of education and to propose two alternative State revenue raising plans to fund the core curriculum content standards. The State revenue raising plans must provide for adequate funds to offset any loss of revenue due to the reduction in local real property taxes approved by the voters at the 1997 general election pursuant to the constitutional amendment set forth in ACR of 1997. The plans may not use sources of revenue already appropriated for aid programs.

    The commission is required to issue a final report containing the two State revenue raising plans, to the Governor and the Legislature no later than six months following its organizational meeting.

    This bill is a companion to ACR of 1997 which proposes a constitutional amendment that provides that for the 2000-2001 school year and thereafter local real property taxes cannot be used to fund the core curriculum content standards. The State would be responsible for funding the core curriculum content standards with State revenues. Under the constitutional amendment the "Public School Educational Funding Commission" would propose two State revenue raising plans to fund the core curriculum content standards and the Legislature would be required to enact one of the plans, or any combination of the two plans. If the Legislature failed to enact one of the plans, or any combination of the two plans, then the two plans would be placed on the ballot at the next general election and the plan with the greatest number of affirmative votes would be the method by which State revenues would be raised to fund the core curriculum content standards. The Legislature would be permitted to enact changes to the method of funding the core curriculum content standards, but a reduction in the total funding for the standards would have to be approved by the voters of the State.

 

 

                             

 

Establishes the Public School Educational Funding Commission.