Sponsored by:
Assemblyman ALEX SAUICKIE
District 12 (Burlington, Middlesex, Monmouth and Ocean)
SYNOPSIS
Specifies that adjustments made to school budget calendar due to delay in State aid notification date will be commensurate with length of delay.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning the school budget calendar and amending P.L.2003, c.275.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. Section 3 of P.L.2003, c.275 (C.18A:7F-5c) is amended to read as follows:
3. Notwithstanding any other law to the contrary, the Commissioner of Education [is authorized to] shall make any adjustments to the school budget calendar and to the date for the notification of nontenured personnel pursuant to section 1 of P.L.1971, c.436 (C.18A:27-10) that are necessary [to conform with] when there is any delay in the State aid notification date. All adjustments made to the school budget calendar and to the date of notification of nontenured personnel pursuant to this section shall be commensurate with the length of the delay in the State aid notification date.
(cf: P.L.2003, c.275, s.3)
2. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill specifies that adjustments made by the Commissioner of Education to the school budget calendar due to a delay in the State aid notification date will be commensurate with the length of that delay.
Current law provides that the Governor's Budget Message must be delivered to the Legislature on or before the fourth Tuesday in February each year. However, it has become customary for the Legislature to provide an extension of up to two weeks for a newly inaugurated governor, as was provided in 2026. This results in a delay of the State education aid notification date. Without adjustments to the school budget calendar commensurate with the length of that delay, significant difficulties will be imposed upon local boards of education and school staff in preparing the school district budget. This bill is intended by the sponsor to eliminate the possibility of such an imposition in the case of any delay of the state aid notification date.