Bill Text: NJ SCR72 | 2014-2015 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Accepts and modifies various recommendations included in Educational Adequacy Report.
Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2014-02-27 - Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Education Committee [SCR72 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2014-SCR72-Introduced.html
SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION No. 72
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
216th LEGISLATURE
INTRODUCED FEBRUARY 27, 2014
Sponsored by:
Senator PETER J. BARNES, III
District 18 (Middlesex)
SYNOPSIS
Accepts and modifies various recommendations included in Educational Adequacy Report.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
A Concurrent Resolution concerning the Governor's Educational Adequacy Report.
Whereas, On December 14, 2012, the Governor submitted the Educational Adequacy Report to the Legislature. The report included recommendations on various parameters included in the State's school funding formula, including: the base per pupil amount; the per pupil amounts for full-day preschool; the weights that are applied to pupils in different grade levels, enrolled in a county vocational school district, classified as an at-risk pupil, bilingual pupil, or combination pupil; the cost coefficients for security categorical aid and transportation aid; the State average classification rate for general special education services pupils and speech-only pupils; the excess cost for general special education services pupils and speech-only pupils; and the extraordinary special education aid thresholds; and
Whereas, On February 14, 2013, the Legislature adopted Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 134, in which the Legislature did not object to the recommendations included in the Educational Adequacy Report regarding: the base per pupil amount; the per pupil amounts for full-day preschool; the weights that are applied to pupils in different grade levels and those enrolled in a county vocational school district; the cost coefficients for security categorical aid and transportation aid; the State average classification rate for general special education services pupils and speech-only pupils; and the excess cost for general special education services pupils and speech-only pupils; and
Whereas, The Legislature did object to the Governor's recommendations to reduce the weights applicable to at-risk pupils, bilingual pupils, and combination pupils on the basis that the recommendations were not supported by any research or analysis demonstrating that the weights included in the school funding law upon its enactment provided school districts with more resources than are necessary to provide for the additional educational needs of these pupils; and
Whereas, The Legislature also objected to the Governor's recommendation to increase the cost thresholds for eligibility for extraordinary special education aid by $5,000 on the basis that the Educational Adequacy Report did not provide any assessment of the fiscal implications that the modification would have on school districts; and
Whereas, On March 18, 2013, the Commissioner of Education submitted a response to Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 134. Rather than providing substantive analysis to support the recommendations to reduce the weights and analysis detailing the fiscal implications of increasing the extraordinary special education aid thresholds, the response simply reiterated the assertions included in the Educational Adequacy Report; and
Whereas, Despite having failed to address the objections raised by the Legislature in Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 134, the commissioner continued to recommend the use of the lower weights for at-risk pupils, bilingual pupils, and combination pupils, and increased cost eligibility thresholds for extraordinary special education aid; and
Whereas, Pursuant to section 5 of P.L.1996, c.138 (C.18A:7F-5), the commissioner, within 30 days following the Legislature's approval of the Educational Adequacy Report, must notify school districts of the base per pupil amount, the per pupil amounts for full-day preschool, the weights for grade level, county vocational school districts, at-risk pupils, bilingual pupils, and combination pupils, the cost coefficients for security categorical aid and for transportation aid, the State average classification rate and the excess cost for general special education services pupils, the State average classification rate and the excess cost for speech-only pupils, and the geographic cost adjustment for each of the school years to which the report is applicable; now, therefore,
Be It Resolved by the Senate of the State of New Jersey (the General Assembly concurring):
1. The Legislature hereby notifies the Governor that it does not accept the March 2013 response to Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 134 with respect to the Governor's recommendation to reduce the weights applicable to at-risk pupils, bilingual pupils, and combination pupils, and the recommendation to increase the cost thresholds that determine eligibility for extraordinary special education aid.
2. The Legislature further notifies the Governor that the recommendations included in the December 2012 Educational Adequacy Report with respect to the base per pupil amount, the per pupil amounts for full-day preschool, the weights that are applied to students in different grade levels and those enrolled in a county vocational school district, the cost coefficients for security categorical aid and transportation aid, the State average classification rate for general special education services pupils and speech-only pupils, and the excess cost for general special education services pupils and speech-only pupils, are approved. The Educational Adequacy Report is modified to include the weights for at-risk pupils, bilingual pupils, and combination pupils, and the cost thresholds for eligibility to receive extraordinary special education aid, to those included in P.L.2007, c.260 (C.18A:7F-43 et al.) upon its enactment.
3. The Legislature directs the Commissioner of Education, within 30 days of the adoption of this Senate concurrent resolution, to notify each school district of the base per pupil amount, the per pupil amounts for full-day preschool, the weights for grade level, county vocational school districts, at-risk pupils, bilingual pupils, and combination pupils, the cost coefficients for security categorical aid and for transportation aid, the State average classification rate and the excess cost for general special education services pupils, the State average classification rate and the excess cost for speech-only pupils, and the geographic cost adjustment for the 2014-2015 and 2015-2016 school years, as set forth in the Educational Adequacy Report as approved and modified pursuant to section 2 of this Senate concurrent resolution.
4. Copies of this resolution, as filed with the Secretary of State, shall be transmitted by the Clerk of the General Assembly or the Secretary of the Senate to the Governor and to the Commissioner of Education.
STATEMENT
Under the provisions of the "School Funding Reform Act of 2008" (SFRA), P.L.2007, c.260, the Governor is required to submit an Educational Adequacy Report to the Legislature by September 1, 2010, and by September 1 every three years thereafter. The purpose of the report is to make recommendations with respect to various parameters that are used to calculate State aid to school districts. The recommendations included in the report are deemed approved unless the Legislature adopts a concurrent resolution by the subsequent November 30 stating its objection to one or more of the recommendations. In the event that such a concurrent resolution is adopted, the Commissioner of Education must submit a revised report to address the objections raised by the Legislature.
In December 2012, the Governor submitted the Educational Adequacy Report to the Legislature; the report included, among other things, recommendations to decrease the weights applied to at-risk pupils, bilingual pupils, and combination pupils (pupils who are both at-risk and bilingual) when determining the resources that school districts need to provide educational services that are consistent with State standards. The report also recommended increasing the cost thresholds used to determine eligibility for reimbursement of certain special education costs. The Legislature subsequently adopted Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 134, in which it objected to these recommendations, as the Educational Adequacy Report did not provide any research to support the recommendations. The Commissioner of Education responded to SCR-134 by restating the recommendations previously included in the Educational Adequacy Report.
This Senate concurrent resolution restates the Legislature's objection to the Educational Adequacy Report's recommendations with respect to the weights that are applied for at-risk pupils, bilingual pupils, and combination pupils, as well as the recommendation to increase the cost threshold for eligibility to receive extraordinary special education aid. Further, this resolution modifies the Educational Adequacy Report to include the weights for at-risk pupils, bilingual pupils, and combination pupils, and the cost thresholds for extraordinary special education aid, that were included in the SFRA upon its enactment. The resolution also specifically accepts the remaining recommendations included in the Educational Adequacy Report. Finally, the concurrent resolution directs the commissioner, within 30 days of the adoption of the resolution, to notify school districts of the various parameters that will be used to determine State school aid in the 2014-2015 and 2015-2016 school years.
