Eliminates use of census-based funding of special education aid in school funding law.
What changed between versions
The budget reduction process in subsection e now applies to ALL districts where voters reject a general fund tax levy, not just districts with a board of school estimate. Rejected levies are submitted to the governing body of each municipality in the district for determination of the amount to be expended.
Removed provisions allowing districts without a board of school estimate to submit separate proposals for additional funds at special elections, and removed provisions allowing districts with November elections to submit separate proposals for additional funds for the current or subsequent budget year.
The commissioner must now consider 'the history of voter approval or rejection of district budgets' as an additional factor when reviewing appeals of budget reductions, alongside enrollment changes, local levy impact, and contractual obligations.
Added requirement that when a proposed budget exceeds the adequacy budget, the explanatory statement must be printed on the sample ballot required by C.19:60-10, in addition to being published in the legal notice and posted at the public hearing.
Cross-reference corrected from P.L.2025, c.234, s.1 to P.L.2013, c.280, s.1, and a new STATEMENT section was added at the end describing the bill's purpose of eliminating the census-based special education aid methodology in favor of actual enrollment-based calculation.
