Bill Text: NJ S4134 | 2018-2019 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Provides adjustment to school district tax levy cap for expenditures associated with opening of renovated or new school facility during budget year for full-day kindergarten.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2019-10-24 - Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Education Committee [S4134 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2018-S4134-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Senator THOMAS H. KEAN, JR.
District 21 (Morris, Somerset and Union)
SYNOPSIS
Provides adjustment to school district tax levy cap for expenditures associated with opening of renovated or new school facility during budget year for full-day kindergarten.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning the tax levy growth limitation for school districts and amending P.L.2007, c.62.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. Section 3 of P.L.2007, c.62 (C.18A:7F-38) is amended to read as follows:
3. a. Notwithstanding the provisions of any other law to the contrary, a school district shall not adopt a budget pursuant to sections 5 and 6 of P.L.1996, c.138 (C.18A:7F-5 and 18A:7F-6) with an increase in its adjusted tax levy that exceeds, except as provided in subsection e. of section 4 of P.L.2007, c.62 (C.18A:7F-39), the tax levy growth limitation calculated as follows: the sum of the prebudget year adjusted tax levy and the adjustment for increases in enrollment multiplied by 2.0 percent, and adjustments for an increase in health care costs, expenditures incurred in connection with the opening of a renovated or new school facility during the budget year for full-day kindergarten, increases in amounts for certain normal and accrued liability pension contributions set forth in sections 1 and 2 of P.L.2009, c.19 amending section 24 of P.L.1954, c.84 (C.43:15A-24) and section 15 of P.L.1944, c.255 (C.43:16A-15) for the year set forth in those sections, and, in the case of an SDA district as defined pursuant to section 3 of P.L.2000, c.72 (C.18A:7G-3), during the 2018-2019 through the 2024-2025 school years, increases to raise a general fund tax levy to an amount that does not exceed its local share.
b. (1) The allowable adjustment for increases in enrollment authorized pursuant to subsection a. of this section shall equal the per pupil prebudget year adjusted tax levy multiplied by EP, where EP equals the sum of:
(a) 0.50 for each unit of weighted resident enrollment that constitutes an increase from the prebudget year over 1%, but not more than 2.5%;
(b) 0.75 for each unit of weighted resident enrollment that constitutes an increase from the prebudget year over 2.5%, but not more than 4%; and
(c) 1.00 for each unit of weighted resident enrollment that constitutes an increase from the prebudget year over 4%.
(2) A school district may request approval from the commissioner to calculate EP equal to 1.00 for any increase in weighted resident enrollment if it can demonstrate that the calculation pursuant to paragraph (1) of this subsection would result in an average class size that exceeds 10% above the facilities efficiency standards established pursuant to P.L.2000, c.72 (C.18A:7G-1 et al.).
c. (Deleted by amendment, P.L.2010, c.44)
d. (1) The allowable adjustment for increases in health care costs authorized pursuant to subsection a. of this section shall equal that portion of the actual increase in total health care costs for the budget year, less any withdrawals from the current expense emergency reserve account for increases in total health care costs, that exceeds 2.0 percent of the total health care costs in the prebudget year, but that is not in excess of the product of the total health care costs in the prebudget year multiplied by the average percentage increase of the State Health Benefits Program, P.L.1961, c.49 (C.52:14-17.25 et seq.), as annually determined by the Division of Pensions and Benefits in the Department of the Treasury.
(2) The allowable adjustment for increases in the amount of normal and accrued liability pension contributions authorized pursuant to subsection a. of this section shall equal that portion of the actual increase in total normal and accrued liability pension contributions for the budget year that exceeds 2.0 percent of the total normal and accrued liability pension contributions in the prebudget year.
(3) In the case of an SDA district, as defined pursuant to section 3 of P.L.2000, c.72 (C.18A:7G-3), in which the prebudget year adjusted tax levy is less than the school district's prebudget year local share as calculated pursuant to section 10 of P.L.2007, c.260 (C.18A:7F-52), the allowable adjustment for increases to raise a tax levy that does not exceed the school district's local share shall equal the difference between the prebudget year adjusted tax levy and the prebudget year local share.
(4) The allowable adjustment for expenditures incurred in connection with the opening of a renovated or new school facility during the budget year for full-day kindergarten pursuant to subsection a. of this section shall include costs associated with the renovated or new school facility related to new teaching staff members, support staff, materials and equipment, custodial and maintenance expenditures, and such other required costs as determined by the commissioner.
e. (Deleted by amendment, P.L.2010, c.44)
f. The adjusted tax levy shall be increased or decreased accordingly whenever the responsibility and associated cost of a school district activity is transferred to another school district or governmental entity.
(cf: P.L.2018, c.67, s.6)
2. This act shall take
effect immediately and shall first be applicable to the next school budget year
following enactment.
STATEMENT
This bill authorizes an adjustment to the school district tax levy cap for expenditures incurred by a district in connection with the opening of a renovated or new school facility during the budget year for full-day kindergarten. The allowable adjustment will include costs associated with the renovated or new school facility that are related to new teaching staff members, support staff, materials and equipment, custodial and maintenance expenditures, and other costs as may be determined by the Commissioner of Education.
Multiple studies have documented the benefits of a full-day kindergarten program. The inability of some school districts to offer a full-day program has been linked to a lack of facilities within the district to accommodate all students in full-day kindergarten. This bill will assist school districts that make a decision to renovate existing facilities or build new facilities to provide the space necessary to offer a full-day program. It is unrealistic to expect a school district to accommodate within its base 2% tax levy increase the new costs that will be incurred by the district in the first year that it opens a renovated or new school facility for full-day kindergarten. This bill will allow such a school district to increase its tax levy in that first year to reflect facility-related expenditures.
