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P.O. Box 909 ● Trenton, NJ 08605-0909 ● Phone: 609.695.7600 ● Fax: 609.695.0413 ● Web: www.njsba.org/PI |
NEWS RELEASE CONTACT: Frank Belluscio (fbelluscio@njsba.org) FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Tax Cap, 'Super' Superintendent Bills Now Law TRENTON, April 3, 2007—Gov. Jon S. Corzine today signed the property tax cap and credit bill (A-1) and the 'super' county superintendent bill (A-4). A-1 places a 4-percent local levy cap on school, municipal and fire district budgets. It will also provide residents with property tax relief funded through part of last year's 1-cent sales tax hike. The new law also allows school districts to seek voter approval to exceed the tax levy cap. Beginning in 2008, these second questions must receive a supermajority 60 percent of the vote to pass. For the 2007 Annual School Election on April 17, a simple majority of 50 percent will be needed to approve the above-cap question. The state Department of Education had based its 2007-2008 budget development guidelines on A-1, even though the bill had not yet become law. A-1 also provides long-sought flexibility for school boards that participate in the State Health Benefits Program. 'Super' County Superintendents A-4, the "CORE" act, will create 21 executive county superintendents with far-reaching authority over local school district spending and operations. The officials will be appointed by the governor with the advice and consent of the Senate. The executive county superintendents will also devise plans to eliminate send-all, or non-operating, school districts in their counties within one year. They will propose the restructuring of all districts into kindergarten through grade 12 systems within three years. Unlike earlier versions of A-4, the bill that was signed into law does not address school elections, thereby leaving the date of school board member elections in April. The new law also does not change the requirement that proposed base budgets be placed on the ballot. 'Base Closing' Approach Corzine also approved A-15/S-12, which creates a commission to study and recommend municipal consolidations and other actions to improve efficiency. The approach is similar to the federal military base realignment and closure panel. The new law does not directly address public school districts. However, municipal consolidation could possibly result in future changes to school district boundaries since current statute aligns school districts along municipal borders.
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