SENATE EDUCATION COMMITTEE

 

STATEMENT TO

 

SENATE, No. 1025

 

with committee amendments

 

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

 

DATED: JUNE 3, 1996

 

      The Senate Education Committee reports favorably Senate Bill No. 1025 with committee amendments. 

      As amended, this bill provides that a school district which meets the requirements of P.L.1993, c.384 and acts to terminate its sending-receiving relationship after the bill's effective date, shall be admitted to an existing regional school district upon the adoption of a resolution approving its inclusion within the regional district by the board of education of the school district and the board of education of the regional district. P.L.1993, c.384 (C.18A:38-21.1) was enacted on January 11, 1994 and provided that a school district involved in a sending-receiving relationship could act to terminate that relationship if the district acted within three years of that law's effective date and met certain student enrollment percentages, agreed to join a regional school district subsequent to the termination of the sending-receiving relationship, maintained the sending-receiving relationship for any secondary students who may wish to complete their secondary education within the district, and the termination of the sending-receiving relationship would not disrupt the racial composition of the sending and receiving school districts.

      The bill also provides that the board of education of a regional district which admits a new constituent district pursuant to the bill's provisions shall be composed of 11 members unless the regional district has more than 11 constituent districts. One of the members shall represent the new constituent district and the second member shall be apportioned among the other school districts by the county superintendent or superintendents of the county or counties in which the constituent districts are situate.

      A technical amendment was adopted to make clear that a new option was added as a condition for the termination of a sending-receiving relationship.