Bill Text: NJ A3993 | 2020-2021 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Allows resident school districts to provide payments in-lieu-of transportation to parents of county vocational school district pupils.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2020-05-04 - Introduced, Referred to Assembly Education Committee [A3993 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2020-A3993-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Assemblyman JAY WEBBER
District 26 (Essex, Morris and Passaic)
SYNOPSIS
Allows resident school districts to provide payments in-lieu-of transportation to parents of county vocational school district pupils.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning the transportation of county vocational school district pupils, amending P.L.1990, c.52, supplementing P.L.1982, c.146 (C.18A:54C-1 et seq.), and repealing section 6 of P.L.1983, c.341.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. Section 71 of P.L.1990, c.52 (C.18A:54-20.1) is amended to read as follows:
71. a. The board of education of each school district or regional school district in any county in which there is a county vocational school district shall send to any of the schools of the county vocational school district each pupil who resides in the school district or regional school district and who has applied for admission to and has been accepted for attendance at any of the schools of the county vocational school district. The board of education shall pay tuition for each of these pupils to the county vocational school district pursuant to subsection c. of this section. The provisions of this section shall not apply to the board of education of a school district or regional school district maintaining a vocational school or schools pursuant to article 2 of chapter 54 of Title 18A of the New Jersey Statutes.
b. The board of education of a county vocational school district shall receive pupils from districts without the county so far as their facilities may permit.
c. The board of education of a county vocational school district shall receive such funds as may be appropriated by the county pursuant to N.J.S.18A:54-29.2 and shall be entitled to collect and receive from the sending districts in which each pupil attending the vocational school resides, for the tuition of that pupil, except for a post-secondary vocational education pupil, a sum not to exceed the actual cost per pupil as determined for each vocational program classification, according to rules prescribed by the commissioner and approved by the State board. Whenever funds have been appropriated by the county, the county vocational school district may charge a fee in addition to tuition for any pupils who are not residents of the county. The fee shall not exceed the amount of the county's per pupil appropriation to the county vocational school district.
d. The tuition and nonresident fee, if any, shall be established not later than January 15 in advance of the school year by the board of education. The tuition for each program category shall be at the same rate per pupil for each sending district whether within or without the county, and 10% of the tuition amount and nonresident fee, if any, shall be paid on the first of each month from September to June by or on behalf of the board of education of each sending district.
e. (Deleted by amendment, P.L.1991, c.62).
f. Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, when a pupil attends a county vocational school district and the pupil lives remote from the school, then the school district of residence of the pupil may, at the discretion of the resident district, either:
(1) provide transportation services pursuant to N.J.S.18A:39-1; or
(2) provide the parent, guardian, or other person having legal custody of the pupil with an annual payment in lieu-of transportation, in the amount determined pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1981, c.57 (C.18A:39-1a) for that school year.
(cf: P.L.1991, c.62, s.24)
2. (New section) Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, when a pupil attends the Marine Academy of Science and Technology and the pupil lives remote from the school, then the school district of residence of the pupil may, at the discretion of the resident district, either:
(1) provide transportation services pursuant to N.J.S.18A:39-1; or
(2) provide the parent, guardian, or other person having legal custody of the pupil with an annual payment in lieu-of transportation, in the amount determined pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1981, c.57 (C.18A:39-1a) for that school year.
3. Section 6 of P.L.1983, c.341 (C.18A:54C-7) is repealed.
4. This act shall take effect on July 1 of the first full school year next following the date of enactment.
STATEMENT
This bill allows a resident school district to provide annual payments in-lieu-of transportation to the parents of certain county vocational school district pupils.
Under current law, a school district is required to provide transportation for any pupil who resides within the school district, attends a county vocational school district, and lives more than two and one-half miles from the county vocational school. Under this bill, a school district would not be required to provide transportation to these county vocational school district pupils.
The bill instead provides that when a pupil attends a county vocational school district, and the pupil lives more than two and one-half miles from the school, then the school district of residence may, at its discretion, either (1) provide the pupil with transportation, or (2) provide the parent, guardian, or other person having legal custody of the pupil with an aid-in-lieu of transportation payment.
The provisions of this bill would also apply to pupils attending the Marine Academy of Science and Technology, which is administered by the Monmouth County Vocational School District.
