Bill Text: NJ A748 | 2010-2011 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Establishes a limited education grant program for certain school districts sending pupils to a district that is experiencing overcrowding in its school facilities.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2010-01-12 - Introduced, Referred to Assembly Education Committee [A748 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2010-A748-Introduced.html
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
214th LEGISLATURE
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2010 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Assemblyman JOHN DIMAIO
District 23 (Warren and Hunterdon)
SYNOPSIS
Establishes a limited education grant program for certain school districts sending pupils to a district that is experiencing overcrowding in its school facilities.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel
An Act establishing an education grant program in certain school districts and supplementing Title 18A of the New Jersey Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. As used in this act:
"Eligible school district" means a school district whose pupils are eligible to receive education grants pursuant to section 2 of this act;
"Participating nonpublic school" means a nonpublic school located within the State which:
a. elects to receive education grant pupils from an eligible school district;
b. charges tuition or fees for its services;
c. was established before the effective date of this act;
d. complies with all State and federal standards applicable to nonpublic schools; and
e. complies with all other requirements imposed by this act;
"Participating public school" means a public school located within the State which elects to receive education grant pupils from an eligible school district;
"Program" means the limited education grant program established pursuant to section 2 of this act;
"Receiving district" means the school district that is receiving pupils from an eligible school district pursuant to N.J.S.18A:38-8.
2. The Commissioner of Education shall establish a limited education grant program. Pursuant to the program, pupils residing in school districts that send their pupils to a receiving district may attend a participating public school or a participating nonpublic school and have the tuition paid, in full or in part, with an education grant if the receiving district is using temporary classroom units as an emergency, temporary replacement for regular classroom facilities or is on split sessions in the school year preceding the school year in which the program will be implemented.
3. a. A parent or guardian of a pupil residing in an eligible school district shall be eligible to participate in the program by submitting an application to the Department of Education by June 1 of the school year preceding the school year in which the pupil will be enrolling in a participating public or nonpublic school under the program, or such other date as the commissioner deems appropriate. Along with the application, the parent or guardian shall include evidence that the pupil is enrolled in a participating public or nonpublic school. Except as provided in subsection d. of this section, the education grant shall be provided through checks from the department made payable to the parent or guardian. The department shall issue an initial check in an amount equal to one-fifth of the education grant amount on September 1. An additional check equal to one-fifth of the education grant amount shall be forwarded to the parent or guardian on the fifteenth day of October, December, February and April upon proof of tuition payment and continued attendance. If an education grant pupil ceases to attend the participating public or nonpublic school, the parent or guardian shall immediately notify the Department of Education and all further installment payments shall be withheld.
b. The amount of the education grant shall be no more than $5,000. However, the amount of the education grant shall not exceed the tuition rate established by the participating public or nonpublic school which the pupil is attending for the year of attendance.
c. If an education grant pupil is attending a participating public school, the department shall not issue a check to the parent or guardian, but shall credit the education grant amount to the school district in which the participating public school is located on behalf of the pupil, and the parent or guardian shall be responsible for the difference in tuition.
d. Pupils using an education grant shall not be included in the resident enrollment of the eligible school district for the school year of transfer and each school year thereafter during which the pupil is attending the participating public or nonpublic school. The commissioner shall make the necessary adjustments to the resident enrollment and State aid entitlement of the eligible school district in order to account for education grant pupils attending a participating public or nonpublic school under this act.
e. A parent or guardian of an education grant pupil shall notify the eligible school district by June 1 of the school year prior to the school year in which the pupil intends to return to the district. The district shall forward the information to the Commissioner of Education by June 30. The commissioner shall increase the eligible school district's State aid for the subsequent school year to reflect these additional pupils.
f. Pupils from an eligible school district shall be eligible for education grants until the Commissioner of Education finds that the receiving district has adequate permanent school facilities to meet the educational needs of its own pupils and the pupils from the eligible school districts; except that a pupil attending a participating public or nonpublic school under this act shall be eligible to continue to receive education grants to attend that school until the pupil has graduated.
4. Transportation shall be
provided to education grant pupils attending a participating public or
nonpublic school pursuant to the
provisions of N.J.S.18A:39-1 applicable to nonpublic school transportation.
5. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill establishes a limited education grant program. Pursuant to the program, pupils that reside in school districts that send their pupils to a receiving district may attend a participating public or nonpublic school and have the tuition paid, in full or in part, with an education grant if the receiving district is using temporary classroom units as an emergency, temporary replacement for regular classroom facilities or is on split sessions in the school year preceding the school year in which the program will be implemented.
Pursuant to the bill, a parent or guardian of a pupil residing in an eligible school district will be eligible to participate in the program by submitting an application to the Department of Education by June 1 of the school year preceding the school year in which the pupil will be enrolling in a participating public or nonpublic school, or such other date as the commissioner deems appropriate. Along with the application, the parent or guardian will include evidence that the pupil is enrolled in a participating public or nonpublic school. If the pupil is intending to enroll in a participating nonpublic school, the department will issue checks directly to the parent or guardian for tuition. If the pupil is intending to enroll in a participating public school the department will not issue a check to the parent or guardian of the pupil. The department will credit the education grant amount to the school district in which the participating public school is located on behalf of the pupil and the parent or guardian will be responsible for the difference.
The amount of the education grant will be no more than $5,000. In no event, however, will the amount of the education grant be permitted to exceed the tuition rate established by the participating public or nonpublic school which the pupil is attending for the year of attendance.
According to the bill, transportation will be provided to the education grant pupils according to the provisions of N.J.S.18A:39-1 applicable to nonpublic school transportation.
