SENATE, No. 2287
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
INTRODUCED DECEMBER 1, 1997
By Senator BARK
An Act concerning State aid for certain constituent municipalities of regional school districts and amending P.L.1996, c.138.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. Section 32 of P.L.1996, c.138 (C.18A:7F-32) is amended to read as follows:
32. a. When State aid is calculated for any year and a part of any district becomes a new school district or a part of another school district, or comes partly under the authority of a regional board of education, the commissioner shall adjust the State aid calculations among the districts affected, or between the district and the regional board, as the case may be, on an equitable basis in accordance with the intent of this act.
Whenever an all-purpose regional school district is approved by the voters during any calendar year, the regional district shall become effective on the succeeding July 1 for the purpose of calculating State aid, and the commissioner shall request supplemental appropriations for such additional State aid as may be required. After a regional school district becomes entitled to State aid, it shall continue to be entitled to aid as calculated for a regional district notwithstanding the subsequent consolidation of the constituent municipalities of the regional school district.
b. For a period of five years following regionalization, each regional school district formed after the effective date of this act shall be eligible to receive supplemental State aid equal to the difference between the regional district's core curriculum standards aid calculated pursuant to section 15 of this act for the budget year and the sum of core curriculum standards aid received by each constituent district of that regional school district in the year prior to regionalization, multiplied by the transition weight. For the purpose of this section, the transition weight shall equal 1.0 for the first year following regionalization, .80 for the second year following regionalization, .60 for the third year following regionalization, .40 for the fourth year following regionalization, and .20 for the fifth year following regionalization.
c. If the boards of education of two or more K-6 or K-8 local school districts which are located in contiguous municipalities form a limited purpose regional school district to provide K-6 or K-8 educational services after the effective date of P.L. , c. (C. ) (now pending before the Legislature as this bill), and one of the contiguous constituent municipalities has a general fund tax levy for school purposes in the budget year following regionalization which exceeds its general fund tax levy for school purposes in the budget year prior to regionalization, then the constituent municipality shall receive supplemental State aid in an amount equal to the difference between its general fund tax levy in the budget and prebudget years, multiplied by the transition weight. For the purpose of this section, the transition weight shall equal 1.0 for the first year following regionalization, .80 for the second year following regionalization, .60 for the third year following regionalization, .40 for the fourth year following regionalization, and .20 for the fifth year following regionalization.
(cf: P.L.1996, c.138, s.32)
2. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill offers an incentive to K-6 or K-8 school districts located in contiguous municipalites to form a regional school district to provide those K-6 or K-8 educational services by providing supplemental State aid to municipalities, which as a result of the regionalization of their educational services, experience an increase in their general fund tax levies.
Under the bill's provisions, if the boards of education of two or more K-6 or K-8 school districts which are located in contiguous municipalities form a limited purpose regional school district to provide those K-6 or K-8 educational services, and one of the contiguous constituent municipalities has a general fund tax levy for school purposes in the budget year which exceeds its general fund tax levy for school purposes in the year prior to regionalization, that constituent municipality will receive supplemental State aid in the amount of the tax levy difference between the budget and prebudget years. This supplemental aid would be available for a period of five years with the dollar amount of the aid decreasing 20% annually over the five year period.
Provides supplemental State aid to certain regional school district constituent municipalities to offset any tax increase associated with regionalization.