Sponsored by:
Senator BRIAN P. STACK
District 33 (Hudson)
SYNOPSIS
Prohibits enrollment of non-resident students in charter schools.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning enrollment in charter schools and amending P.L.1995, c.426.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. Section 8 of P.L.1995, c.426 (C.18A:36A-8) is amended to read as follows:
8. a. [Preference for] Beginning in the first full school year following the effective date of P.L. , c. (pending before the Legislature as this bill), enrollment in a charter school shall be [given] limited to students who reside in the school district in which the charter school is located. Any non-resident student enrolled in a charter school prior to the effective date of P.L. , c. (pending before the Legislature as this bill) shall be allowed to remain enrolled in that charter school.
If there are more applications to enroll in the charter school than there are spaces available, the charter school shall select students to attend using a random selection process. A charter school shall not charge tuition to students [who reside in the district] .
b. A charter school shall allow any student who was enrolled in the school in the immediately preceding school year to enroll in the charter school in the appropriate grade unless the appropriate grade is not offered at the charter school.
c. A charter school may give enrollment priority to a sibling of a student enrolled in the charter school.
d. [If available space permits, a charter school may enroll non-resident students. The terms and condition of the enrollment shall be outlined in the school's charter and approved by the commissioner.] Deleted by amendment, P.L. , c. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill)
e. The admission policy of the charter school shall, to the maximum extent practicable, seek the enrollment of a cross section of the community's school age population including racial and academic factors.
(cf: P.L.1995, c.426, s.8)
2. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
Under current law, a charter school is required to give enrollment preference to students who reside in the district in which the charter school is located. If available space permits, the charter school may
enroll students who do not live in the district. This bill stipulates that, beginning in the first full school year following the bill’s effective date, charter schools would no longer be allowed to enroll non-resident students. Any non-resident student enrolled in a charter school prior to the bill’s effective date would be allowed to remain in that charter school.