Bill
Bill > A2037
NJ A2037
NJ A2037Provides supplemental transportation aid to certain districts participating in interdistrict public school choice program.
summary
Introduced
01/13/2026
01/13/2026
In Committee
01/13/2026
01/13/2026
Crossed Over
Passed
Dead
Introduced Session
2026-2027 Regular Session
Bill Summary
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
This bill provides additional state funding for transportation costs to certain school districts that participate in an interdistrict public school choice program, meaning students can attend schools outside their home district. Specifically, it applies to choice districts located in cities of the second class that have been ordered by the New Jersey Supreme Court to take steps to diversify their student population. These choice districts are responsible for arranging transportation, or providing money instead of transportation (aid-in-lieu), for eligible elementary and secondary students attending their schools from other districts, provided the students live within a certain distance from the choice school and the school is not too far from their home. The districts where these students originally reside (sending districts) will receive state aid for this transportation and must then pass that aid directly to the choice district. If the actual cost of transporting these students exceeds the state aid the sending district receives, the choice district can apply for supplemental state aid. To qualify for this extra funding, the choice district must prove to the Commissioner of Education that their bus routes are cost-efficient, for example, by using central pick-up points and combining students from different sending districts onto the same routes. The choice district must then report any transportation costs that exceed the aid received from the sending district to the Department of Education, which will reimburse them for these additional expenses.
Committee Categories
Education
Sponsors (4)
Last Action
Introduced, Referred to Assembly Education Committee (on 01/13/2026)
Official Document
bill text
bill summary
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bill summary
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bill summary
| Document Type | Source Location |
|---|---|
| State Bill Page | https://www.njleg.state.nj.us/bill-search/2026/A2037 |
| BillText | https://pub.njleg.gov/Bills/2026/A2500/2037_I1.HTM |
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