Bill > A5698

Introduced Session

This bill provides supplemental transportation aid to certain districts participating in the interdistrict public school choice program. Under the bill, a choice district located in a city of the second class, which district has been directed by the New Jersey Supreme Court to engage in efforts to desegregate the student population, is responsible for providing transportation, including the organization of bus routes and bidding for transportation services, or aid-in-lieu-of transportation, to certain elementary and secondary school pupils to attend the choice district. Under the bill, the sending district will receive State aid for transportation for those students transported to the choice district. The sending district will then pay directly to the choice district the State aid for transportation, or aid-in-lieu-of amount, received by the sending district under the bill. The bill also provides supplemental State aid for transportation for a choice district responsible for transporting students from a sending district pursuant to the provisions of the bill when the total costs of providing transportation from the sending districts to the choice district exceeds the amount of State aid for transportation the sending district receives pursuant to the bill. To be eligible to receive the supplemental State aid for transportation, the choice district is required to demonstrate to the commissioner that the bus routes will utilize cost efficient methods. The choice district is to annually report to the Department of Education at the end of each school year the cost of providing transportation to students from a sending district that exceed the amount of funds the choice district receives from the sending district under the bill. The department is required to reimburse the choice district for the additional costs reported.

AI Summary

Committee Categories

Shama Haider (D)*, 

Introduced, Referred to Assembly Education Committee (on 11/20/2023)

Official Document