Gov. Chris Christie last week signed into law several bills, including an NJSBA goal to allow districts to charge for summer school.
The bill that allows districts to charge tuition for summer school programs, A-2794, achieves an NJSBA legislative goal.
NJSBA Goal At NJSBA’s Delegate Assembly on May 15 of this year, school board members established a goal to seek approval of legislation that would allow school districts to charge for summer programs. The state had prohibited districts from charging for remedial or advanced summer classes.
According to the new law, a district would not be allowed to charge any tuition for summer programs if a student is from a household that is at or below the most recent federal poverty guidelines. For all other students, the district could charge tuition ranging from 50 to 100 percent of tuition, based on the student’s household income.
Other bills signed into law include:
Interdistrict School Choice Christie signed a bill on Sept. 9 that established a permanent Interdistrict Public School Choice Program. The measure, (A-355), had unanimously passed both houses this summer. It makes permanent a five-year pilot program that had lapsed.
The law will allow children to attend schools in districts they don’t live in. The bill's provisions, which were supported by NJSBA, are entirely voluntary; local school districts may decide whether or not to participate. Currently, 15 districts participate in the program.
If an approved district has available space, pupils would submit an application, and the district would be able to review the application based on the student's interests in the school's programming. Schools could establish a lottery system if demand outpaces the number of available seats. Sending districts would be responsible for transportation for any elementary school pupil who lives more than two miles from the receiving district, and any secondary school student who lives more than two and a half miles from the new school. Sending districts would not have to pay if the student’s new school is more than 20 miles from the student's home.
Special-Ed Funding A measure that clarifies school district eligibility to receive state funding for special education evaluation services for children enrolled in New Jersey non-public schools and living out-of-state, passed both houses in June by a unanimous vote. NJSBA supported the bill, A-2300.
Annual Audit: A-415, enacted July 29, provides an additional month for the completion of a school district’s annual audit. NJSBA supported the measure.
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