Special Session: Post-Mortem

Property Tax Cap A-1 would establish 4 percent property tax caps on school, municipal and fire district budgets. It would also provide residents with property tax credits, funded through part of the new revenue generated by last year’s 1-cent sales tax increase.

Status: On the governor’s desk.

State Comptroller A-2 would create the position of a state comptroller, appointed by the governor. The comptroller would conduct financial audits and performance reviews of state and local governments, including school districts. The Senate amended the proposal to reduce the scope of state comptroller audits of local governments and school districts. Local school boards must already secure independent audits of their budgets and are subject to financial oversight by the state Department of Education.

Status: On the governor’s desk.

‘Super’ Superintendents A-4 would create 21 “super” executive county superintendents with sweeping powers over local school district budgeting. The executive county superintendents would develop plans to eliminate send-all, or non-operating, school districts and to propose the reconfiguration of all districts into K-12 systems.

Status: The Senate passed an amended version of A-4 on Feb. 6. The bill returned to the Assembly, which must concur on the Senate changes. The next Assembly voting session is Feb. 22.

Accountability Bill A-5 would expand the state commissioner of education’s authority to intervene in school district business operations and would give her the ability to appoint a state monitor under certain conditions. It also would expand mandatory training for new school board members and would require reelected and reappointed members to complete advanced training.