P.O. Box 909 ● Trenton, NJ 08605-0909 ● Phone: 609.695.7600 ● Fax: 609.695.0413 ● Web: www.njsba.org/PI

Updated July 30

Allow Citizens in Non-Operating Districts to Vote on Regionalization Plans—NJSBA

TRENTON, June 25, 2009 — The New Jersey School Boards Association today urged the Corzine Administration and the Legislature to address the future of the state’s 26 non-operating school districts through the voter referendums on school district regionalization, which are planned for next year.

Update: Gov. Jon Corzine signed into law S-3000/A-4141 on July 30.

NJSBA’s statement comes in response to S-3000 (Whelan)/A-4141 (Burzichelli), administration bills on today’s Senate and Assembly agendas. The legislation would establish a process for eliminating the state’s non-operating districts without voter referendum. These districts send all of their students to nearby school systems on a tuition basis. Like other districts, they have unpaid school boards. Their paid staff, however, is limited to a part-time business clerk, who transmits tuition funds to other districts.

“There are reasons why non-operating districts have continued to exist. In almost all cases, it is less costly for these communities to provide an education by sending all of their children to a neighboring school system on a tuition basis, rather than merging, or regionalizing, with other districts,” explained Marie S. Bilik, NJSBA executive director.

“Considering the potential financial impact on their communities, the taxpayers in non-operating school districts should be able to approve or reject proposals to become part of larger regionalized systems. A-4141 does not allow for such a vote.”

Previous legislation, enacted in 2007, called for two changes in school district structure in New Jersey: The development of plans to regionalize school districts, which would be submitted to voters of each affected municipality in 2010; and the outright elimination of the state’s 26 non-operating districts by March 2008, with no voter-approval.

The state missed the March 2008 deadline for eliminating the non-operating districts, due in part to unforeseen complications involving the allocation of school costs among affected municipalities. A-4141 represents the administration’s effort to address the issue of property tax increases resulting from elimination of the non-operating districts.

“In light of the potential impact on their property taxes, citizens in non-operating school districts should be able to vote on regionalization plans that affect their future.”