Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman MITCHELLE DRULIS
District 16 (Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex and Somerset)
Assemblyman ROY FREIMAN
District 16 (Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex and Somerset)
Assemblywoman ALIXON COLLAZOS-GILL
District 27 (Essex and Passaic)
Co-Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman Katz
SYNOPSIS
Establishes additional public inspection requirements for school district budgets.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning school district budgets and amending N.J.S.18A:22-8.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. N.J.S.18A:22-8 is amended to read as follows:
18A:22-8. The budget shall be prepared in such detail and upon such forms as shall be prescribed by the commissioner and to it shall be annexed a statement so itemized as to make the same readily understandable, in which shall be shown:
a. In tabular form there shall be set forth the following:
(1) The total expenditure for each item for the preceding school year, the amount appropriated for the current school year adjusted for transfers as of February 1 of the current school year, and the amount estimated to be necessary to be appropriated for the ensuing school year, indicated separately for each item as determined by the commissioner;
(2) The amount of the surplus account available at the beginning of the preceding school year, at the beginning of the current school year, and the amount anticipated to be available for the ensuing school year;
(3) The amount of revenue available for budget purposes for the preceding school year, the amount available for the current school year as of February 1 of the current school year, and the amount anticipated to be available for the ensuing school year in the following categories:
(a) Total to be raised by local property taxes
(b) Total State aid
(i) Equalization aid
(ii) Special education categorical aid
(iii) Transportation aid
(iv) Preschool education aid
(v) Security aid
(vi) Adjustment aid
(vii) Other (detailed at the discretion of the commissioner)
(c) Total federal aid
(i) Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C.s.2701 et seq.)
(ii) Students with disabilities
(iii) Impact Aid
(iv) Vocational
(v) Other (detailed at the discretion of the commissioner)
(d) Other sources (detailed at the discretion of the commissioner).
b. (Deleted by amendment, P.L.1993, c.117).
c. In the event that the total expenditure for any item of appropriation is equal to $0.00 for: (1) the preceding school year, (2) the current school year, and (3) the amount estimated to be necessary to be appropriated for the ensuing school year, that item shall not be required to be published pursuant to N.J.S.18A:22-11.
d. The instruction function of the budget shall be divided at a minimum into elementary (K-5), middle school (6-8), and high school (9-12) cost centers, each of which shall be further divided by the core curriculum content areas. The commissioner shall phase in these requirements as soon as practicable.
e. (1) The proposed budget, including the supporting documentation for the proposed budget, submitted to the commissioner for approval pursuant to subsection c. of section 5 of P.L.1996, c.138 (C.18A:7F-5) shall be posted on the school district’s website, if one exists, and made available in print in a “user-friendly” format using plain language. The proposed budget shall additionally be provided upon request for public inspection. No later than 48 hours prior to the public hearing conducted pursuant to N.J.S.18A:22-10 and in addition to the requirements concerning public examination of the budget pursuant to N.J.S.18A:22-12, the version of the budget as approved by the commissioner shall be posted, made available, and provided for public inspection in the same manner as the proposed budget pursuant to this paragraph.
(2) The budget as adopted for the school year pursuant to section 5 of P.L.1996, c.138 (C.18A:7F-5) shall be provided for public inspection on the school district's Internet site, if one exists, and made available in print in a "user-friendly" format using plain language. The adopted budget shall additionally be provided upon request for public inspection. The Commissioner of Education shall promulgate a "user-friendly," plain language budget summary format for the use of school districts for this purpose.
(cf: P.L.2017, c.131, s.22)
2. This act shall take effect immediately and shall first apply to school budgets prepared for the second full school year following the date of enactment.
STATEMENT
This bill provides additional public inspection requirements for school district budgets.
Pursuant to current law, a school district is required to provide for public inspection on its website and make available in print in a “user-friendly” format the school budget as adopted for the school year. This bill extends these requirements to the version of the budget that is: 1) initially submitted by a school district to the Commissioner of Education for approval; and 2) approved by the commissioner. Pursuant to the bill, the version of the budget that is approved by the commissioner is to be made available no later than 48 hours prior to the public hearing on the budget. In addition, the bill requires all forms of the budget to be provided upon request for public inspection.