Permits use of unexpended State aid for specific nonpublic school programs may be used to support certain other nonpublic school programs rather than being refunded.

A4906

ASSEMBLY, No. 4906

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

222nd LEGISLATURE

��

INTRODUCED MAY 7, 2026

Sponsored by:

Assemblyman� ALEXANDER "AVI" SCHNALL

District 30 (Monmouth and Ocean)

Assemblyman� GARY S. SCHAER

District 36 (Bergen and Passaic)

SYNOPSIS

���� Permits use of unexpended State aid for specific
nonpublic school programs may be used to support certain other nonpublic school
programs rather than being refunded.

�

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

���� As introduced.

���

An Act

concerning State aid for nonpublic schools and
amending P.L.1991, c.226 and P.L.2016, c.49.

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

���� 1.� Section 9 of P.L.1991,
c.226 (C.18A:40-31) is amended to read as follows:

���� 9.� a.� The support limit for
the 1997-98 school year shall be $61.44.� For each school year thereafter the
commissioner shall determine the support limit by multiplying the support limit
for the previous school year times the sum of 1.0 plus the average annual
percentage increase in the consumer price index for the New York and
Philadelphia areas during the fiscal year preceding the prebudget year as
reported by the United States Department of Labor.

���� b.��� On or before November 5
of each year, each board of education shall forward to the commissioner an
estimate of the cost of providing, during the next school year, the services
required pursuant to this act and the number of pupils attending nonpublic schools
located within the district as of the last school day of October of the current
school year, excluding those pupils who have refused nursing services pursuant
to section 8 of
[
this
act
]

P.L.1991,
c.226 (C.18A:40-30)
.� The commissioner shall provide State aid to each
school district in an amount equal to the number of nonpublic school pupils
within the district identified by the district on or before November 5
multiplied by the State support limit.� In the event that the expenditure
incurred by any district is less than the amount of State aid received, the
district
may use the unexpended State aid for expenditures under P.L.2016,
c.49 (C.18A:58-37.8 et seq.).� In the event that the expenditures incurred by
any district are less than the total amount of State aid for these programs,
the district
shall refund the unexpended State aid after the completion of
the school year, but not later than December 1 of the following school year.

���� c.��� If in any year, the
amount of State aid appropriated is insufficient to carry out in full the
provisions of
[
this
act
]

P.L.1991,
c.226 (C.18A:40-23 et seq.)
, the commissioner shall apportion that
appropriation among the districts in proportion to the State aid each district
would have received had the full amount of State aid been appropriated.� In any
year, no district shall be required to make expenditures for the purposes of
this act in excess of the amount of State aid received for these purposes.

(cf: P.L.1996, c.138, s.69)

���� 2.� Section 5 of P.L.2016,
c.49 (C.18A:58-37.12) is amended to read as follows:

���� 5. a. The support limit for
the 2016-2017 school year shall be $75.� For each school year thereafter the
commissioner shall determine the support limit by multiplying the support limit
for the previous school year times the sum of 1.0 plus the average annual
percentage increase in the consumer price index for the New York and
Philadelphia areas during the fiscal year preceding the prebudget year as
reported by the United States Department of Labor.

���� b.��� On or before November 5
of each year, each board of education shall forward to the Commissioner of
Education an estimate of the cost of providing, during the next school year,
the security services, equipment, or technology required pursuant to this act and
the number of students attending nonpublic schools located within the district
as of the last school day of October of the current school year.� The
commissioner shall provide State aid to each school district in an amount equal
to the number of nonpublic school students within the district identified by
the district on or before November 5 multiplied by the State support limit.� In
the event that the expenditure incurred by any district is less than the amount
of State aid received, the district
may use the unexpended State aid for
expenditures under P.L.1991, c.226 (C.18A:40-23 et seq.).� In the event that
the expenditures incurred by any district are less than the total amount of
State aid for these programs, the district
shall refund the unexpended State
aid after the completion of the school year, but not later than December 1 of
the following school year.

���� c.��� If in any year, the
amount of State aid appropriated is insufficient to carry out in full the
provisions of
[
this
act
]

P.L.2016,
c.49 (C.18A:58-37.8 et seq.)
, the commissioner shall apportion that
appropriation among the districts in proportion to the State aid each district
would have received had the full amount of State aid been appropriated.� In any
year, no district shall be required to make expenditures for the purposes of
this act in excess of the amount of State aid received for these purposes.

(cf: P.L.2016, c.49, s.5)

���� 3. �This act shall take effect
immediately.

STATEMENT

���� Under current law, in the
event that the expenditures incurred by a school district are less than the
State aid received to support certain services provided to nonpublic schools,
the district is required to refund the unexpended State aid after the completion
of the school year.� This provision applies in the case of nonpublic nursing services
aid and nonpublic security aid.� This bill would allow unexpended State aid for
either of these programs to be used to support the services provided under the
other program.