Allows resident school districts to provide payments in-lieu-of transportation to parents of county vocational school district pupils.

A4416

ASSEMBLY, No. 4416

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

222nd LEGISLATURE

�

INTRODUCED FEBRUARY 19, 2026

Sponsored by:

wAssemblyman� JAY WEBBER

District 26 (Morris and Passaic)

SYNOPSIS

���� Allows resident school districts to provide payments
in-lieu-of transportation to parents of county vocational school district
pupils.

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

���� As introduced.

��

An Act
concerning the transportation of county vocational
school district pupils, amending P.L.1990, c.52, supplementing P.L.1982, c.146
(C.18A:54C-1 et seq.), and repealing section 6 of P.L.1983, c.341.

����
Be It
Enacted
by the Senate and General Assembly of
the State of New Jersey:

���� 1.��� Section 71 of P.L.1990,
c.52 (C.18A:54-20.1) is amended to read as follows:

���� 71.��� a.�� The board of
education of each school district or regional school district in any county in
which there is a county vocational school district shall send to any of the
schools of the county vocational school district each pupil who resides in the
school district or regional school district and who has applied for admission
to and has been accepted for attendance at any of the schools of the county
vocational school district. The board of education shall pay tuition for each
of these pupils to the county vocational school district pursuant to subsection
c. of this section. The provisions of this section shall not apply to the board
of education of a school district or regional school district maintaining a
vocational school or schools pursuant to article 2 of chapter 54 of Title 18A
of the New Jersey Statutes.�

���� b.��� The board of education
of a county vocational school district shall receive pupils from districts
without the county so far as their facilities may permit.�

���� c.���� The board of education
of a county vocational school district shall receive such funds as may be
appropriated by the county pursuant to N.J.S.18A:54-29.2 and shall be entitled
to collect and receive from the sending districts in which each pupil attending
the vocational school resides, for the tuition of that pupil, except for a
post-secondary vocational education pupil, a sum not to exceed the actual cost
per pupil as determined for each vocational program classification, according
to rules prescribed by the commissioner and approved by the State board.
Whenever funds have been appropriated by the county, the county vocational
school district may charge a fee in addition to tuition for any pupils who are
not residents of the county. The fee shall not exceed the amount of the
county's per pupil appropriation to the county vocational school district.�

���� d.��� The tuition and
nonresident fee, if any, shall be established not later than January 15 in
advance of the school year by the board of education. The tuition for each
program category shall be at the same rate per pupil for each sending district
whether within or without the county, and 10% of the tuition amount and
nonresident fee, if any, shall be paid on the first of each month from
September to June by or on behalf of the board of education of each sending
district.�

���� e.���� (Deleted by amendment,
P.L.1991, c.62).

����
f.���� Notwithstanding any
provision of law to the contrary, when a pupil attends a county vocational
school district and the pupil lives remote from the school, then the school
district of residence of the pupil may, at the discretion of the resident
district, either:

����
(1)�� provide
transportation services pursuant to N.J.S.18A:39-1; or

����
(2)�� provide the parent,
guardian, or other person having legal custody of the pupil with an annual
payment in lieu-of transportation, in the amount determined pursuant to section
2 of P.L.1981, c.57 (C.18A:39-1a) for that school year.�

(cf: P.L.1991, c.62, s.24)

���� 2.��� (New section)�
Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, when a pupil attends the
Marine Academy of Science and Technology and the pupil lives remote from the school,
then the school district of residence of the pupil may, at the discretion of
the resident district, either:

���� (1)�� provide transportation
services pursuant to N.J.S.18A:39-1; or

���� (2)�� provide the parent,
guardian, or other person having legal custody of the pupil with an annual
payment in lieu-of transportation, in the amount determined pursuant to section
2 of P.L.1981, c.57 (C.18A:39-1a) for that school year.�

���� 3.��� Section 6 of P.L.1983,
c.341 (C.18A:54C-7) is repealed.

���� 4.��� This act shall take
effect on July 1 of the first full school year next following the date of
enactment.

STATEMENT

���� This bill allows a resident
school district to provide annual payments in-lieu-of transportation to the
parents of certain county vocational school district pupils.

���� Under current law, a school
district is required to provide transportation for any pupil who resides within
the school district, attends a county vocational school district, and lives
more than two and one-half miles from the county vocational school.� Under this
bill, a school district would not be required to provide transportation to
these county vocational school district pupils.�

���� The bill instead provides that
when a pupil attends a county vocational school district, and the pupil lives more
than two and one-half miles from the school, then the school district of
residence may, at its discretion, either (1) provide the pupil with
transportation, or (2) provide the parent, guardian, or other person having
legal custody of the pupil with an aid-in-lieu of transportation payment.��

���� The provisions of this bill
would also apply to pupils attending the Marine Academy of Science and
Technology, which is administered by the Monmouth County Vocational School
District.