Bill Text: NJ A2902 | 2014-2015 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Requires executive county superintendent to provide financial and educational information regarding formation of all purpose regional school district to districts proposing a withdrawal from or dissolution of a limited purpose regional school district.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2014-12-18 - Received in the Senate, Referred to Senate Education Committee [A2902 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2014-A2902-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Assemblyman TIMOTHY J. EUSTACE
District 38 (Bergen and Passaic)
SYNOPSIS
Requires executive county superintendent to provide financial and educational information regarding formation of all purpose regional school district to districts proposing a withdrawal from or dissolution of a limited purpose regional school district.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning regional school districts and amending P.L.1975, c.360.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. Section 2 of P.L.1975, c.360 (C.18A:13-52) is amended to read as follows:
2. The executive county superintendent shall, within 60 days after such request, file with the governing bodies of the municipalities constituting the regional district and the boards of education of all of the constituent school districts and the board of education of the regional school district a report containing a statement of the current assets and operating expenses of the regional district for the then current year and such financial, educational and other information as he may deem necessary to enable said governing bodies and local boards of education and regional board of education to form an intelligent judgment as to the advisability of the proposed withdrawal or dissolution and the effect thereof upon the educational and financial condition of the withdrawing district and the regional district, or upon each of the constituent districts in the event of a dissolution and setting forth the amount of indebtedness, if any, to be assumed by the withdrawing and the regional districts, or by each constituent district in the event of a dissolution, calculated as hereinafter provided. The report, in discussing the educational and financial effect of the withdrawal or dissolution, shall include the effect thereof upon the administrative and operational efficiencies, and the resultant cost savings or cost increases, in the withdrawing and the regional districts, or by each constituent district in the event of a dissolution.
The report shall also include such financial, educational, and other information as the executive county superintendent may deem necessary for the governing bodies, the local boards of education, and the regional board of education to form an intelligent judgment as to the advisability of converting the limited purpose regional district to an all purpose regional district, as an alternative to the withdrawal from or dissolution of the limited purpose regional district. The report, in discussing the educational and financial effect of the conversion to an all purpose regional district, shall include the effect thereof upon the administrative and operational efficiencies, and the resultant cost savings or cost increases.
The executive county superintendent may require the constituent municipalities and school districts and the regional district to submit a feasibility study in order to determine the educational and financial impact of the withdrawal from, or dissolution of, the limited purpose regional district. In the event the executive county superintendent requests a feasibility study to be conducted, the executive county superintendent's report required pursuant to this section shall be filed within 60 days following submission of the feasibility study.
(cf: P.L.2007, c.63, s.52)
2. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
According to the procedures established by statute regarding the dissolution of a limited purpose regional school district or the withdrawal of a local district from a limited purpose regional school district, the executive county superintendent must file a report that contains such financial, educational, and other information as he deems necessary to enable the involved governing bodies of the municipalities constituting the regional district, the boards of education of all the constituent school districts, and the board of education of the regional district, to form an intelligent judgment on the advisability of the proposed withdrawal or dissolution. The report must also contain a statement of the current assets and operating expenses of the regional district for the current year. A limited purpose regional district is a regional district which is responsible for educating students of certain grade levels only. The other type of regional district is an all purpose regional, which is a regional district responsible for educating students of all ages within the district.
This bill recognizes that a possible alternative to the dissolution of or withdrawal from the limited purpose regional district is the formation of one all purpose regional district by the constituent districts of the limited purpose regional district. In order that the various municipal governing bodies and boards of education are able to form an intelligent judgment on the advisability of forming an all purpose regional district, the bill would require the executive county superintendent's report to also include information on the educational and financial effects of the conversion to an all purpose regional district.
