SENATE, No. 780

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

INTRODUCED FEBRUARY 15, 1996

By Senators KYRILLOS and PALAIA

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 identify and publish a list of local school boards of education, educational services commissions, and any other established agencies providing cooperative transportation services.

    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 utilize one of the agencies identified by the commissioner for the transportation of the pupils, except when the local district can provide transportation at a lower cost than those agencies.

    c. Any school district which has in the prior year provided payments in lieu of transportation for any nonpublic school pupil pursuant to N.J.S.18A:39-1 shall attempt to provide transportation through an agency identified by the commissioner prior to determining to pay aid in lieu of transportation. If the costs to provide transportation by the agency identified by the commissioner are less than the in-lieu-of payments, the agency shall provide transportation.

    d. The county superintendents shall assist local boards of education in coordinating the calendars and schedules of the public schools to facilitate the coordination of transportation of pupils to and from school in their respective county.

    2. This act shall take effect immediately and shall first apply to the 1996-1997 school year.

STATEMENT

    This bill requires the Commissioner of Education to identify and publish a list of local boards of education, educational services commissions, and any other established agencies providing cooperative transportation services. Any school district responsible for the transportation of pupils to and from a school, other than a local district school, would utilize one of the agencies identified by the commissioner for the transportation of the pupils, except when the local district can provide transportation at a lower cost than those agencies.

    Under the bill, any school district which has in the prior year provided payments in lieu of transportation for any nonpublic school pupil would attempt to provide transportation through an agency identified by the commissioner prior to determining to pay aid in lieu of transportation. If the costs to provide transportation by the agency identified by the commissioner are less than the in-lieu-of payments, the agency would provide transportation.

      The county superintendents are required to assist local boards of education in coordinating the calendars and schedules of the public schools to facilitate the coordination of pupil transportation in a county.

Provides for development of regionalized school pupil transportation.