Bill Text: NJ A5253 | 2018-2019 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Provides State funding incentive to support shared services agreements between municipalities and certain school districts for provision of public school hazardous busing.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2019-05-13 - Introduced, Referred to Assembly State and Local Government Committee [A5253 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2018-A5253-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Assemblyman RONALD S. DANCER
District 12 (Burlington, Middlesex, Monmouth and Ocean)
SYNOPSIS
Provides State funding incentive to support shared services agreements between municipalities and certain school districts for the provision of public school hazardous busing.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning public school hazardous busing and amending N.J.S.18A:39-1.2.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. N.J.S.18A:39-1.2 is amended to read as follows:
18A:39-1.2. a. Whenever the governing body of a municipality finds that for safety reasons it is desirable to provide transportation to and from a school for pupils living within the municipality, other than those living remote from the school or those with a physical or intellectual disability, the governing body and the board of education of the district are authorized to enter into a contract pursuant to P.L.2007, c.63 (C.40A:65-1 et al.), under the terms of which the board shall provide such transportation. Any funds required to be paid by the municipality to the board of education under such a contract shall be appropriated by the governing body and paid to the secretary or treasurer of school moneys, as appropriate, of the district. The governing body of the municipality may charge the parents or guardians of children who are transported for safety reasons in order to help defray expenses, provided that no charge shall be imposed on the parent or guardian of any child who meets the Statewide eligibility standards established by the State Board of Education for free and reduced price meals under the State school lunch program. The amount of any charges and the method of collection shall be specified in the contract between the municipal governing body and the board of education. Nothing in this section shall prevent a board of education from providing transportation at its own expense.
b. If the governing body of a municipality finds that for safety reasons it is desirable to provide transportation to and from a school for pupils living within the municipality, other than those living remote from the school or those pupils transported pursuant to N.J.S. 18A:46-1 et seq., the governing body and a board of education of a school district that has a regular vehicle capacity utilization equal to or greater than 140 percent may enter into a contract pursuant to P.L.2007, c.63 (C.40A:65-1 et al.), under the terms of which the board provides the transportation. Fifty percent of the transportation shall be funded jointly by the municipality and the district pursuant to a formula determined in the contract and 50 percent shall be funded through State matching funds. Any funds required to be paid by the municipality to the board of education under the contract shall be appropriated by the governing body and paid to the treasurer of school moneys of the district. The State shall give priority for matching funds to those school districts that experienced a reduction in State school aid pursuant to the provisions of P.L.2018, c.67 (C.18A:7F-67 et al.).
(cf: P.L.2017, c.131, s.30)
2. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill provides support for shared services agreements between school districts and municipalities for transporting students along hazardous routes.
If a municipality determines to provide pupil transportation to its students due to hazardous route conditions and enters into a shared services agreement with a school district that has a regular vehicle capacity utilization of 140 percent or greater, the transportation provided pursuant to the contract will be funded 50 percent through State matching funds and 50 percent jointly by the municipality and the district according to a formula determined in the shared services agreement. The bill provides that the State will give priority for matching funds to those school districts that experienced a reduction in State school aid pursuant to the provisions of P.L.2018, c.67 (C.18A:7F-67 et al.). State matching funds will be allocated to school districts subject to available appropriations.
