Bill > S500

Introduced Session

This bill establishes a three-year nonpublic school pupil transportation pilot program to provide funding to a county consortium of nonpublic schools that will assume responsibility for the school districts' mandated nonpublic school busing for those students. Under the pilot program, the Commissioner of Education will disburse to a county consortium of nonpublic schools located in an eligible county, defined to include only Ocean County, an amount equal to the aid in-lieu-of transportation amount (currently set at $1,000) for each nonpublic school pupil who is attending a nonpublic school in the county consortium and who is required by law to be transported by a school district to and from school. The county consortium will assume the responsibilities of transporting the pupils for whom it receives the aid in-lieu-of transportation amount. The bill also provides that the county consortium will assume the assets and liabilities incurred as of June 30, 2019 by the consortium of nonpublic schools which was formed pursuant to the three-year pilot program established in the Lakewood Township School District pursuant to section 1 of P.L.2016, c.22 (C.18A:39-1d) and set to expire in 2019. The bill provides that if the per pupil cost of the lowest bid received exceeds the aid in-lieu-of transportation amount, the parent or guardian of the student will be eligible to receive the aid in-lieu-of transportation amount from the county consortium for that school year. In addition, if after providing the required pupil transportation any of the funds disbursed to the county consortium of nonpublic schools remain unspent, the county consortium is permitted to use the remaining funds to offer courtesy busing to pupils who reside in an eligible county and are attending a nonpublic school in the county consortium. Under the pilot program, school districts located in the eligible county will not be permitted to provide courtesy busing to any pupil attending a nonpublic school in the county consortium. At the end of the school year, the bill requires the county consortium to refund to the Department of Education any unexpended funds it received under the pilot program. The bill establishes a committee to oversee the operations of the consortium in implementing the pilot program, consisting of five members: three members appointed by the Governor; one member appointed by the Senate President; and one member appointed by the Speaker of the General Assembly. Under the provisions of the bill, the commissioner will submit a report to the Governor and the Legislature two years following the establishment of the pilot program which will include information on the implementation of the pilot program and the commissioner's recommendation on the advisability of continuing the program and expanding it Statewide. The bill requires the county consortium to assume the assets and liabilities incurred as of June 30, 2019 by the consortium of nonpublic schools in the Lakewood Township School District under the three-year pilot program established pursuant to section 1 of P.L.2016, c.22 (C.18A:39-1d). The bill takes effect immediately and provides that the pilot program will first be applicable in the 2019-2020 school year.

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Jim Holzapfel (R)*, 

Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Education Committee (on 01/09/2024)

Official Document