This bill provides school districts that have transitioned their annual elections to November with the ability to submit separate proposals for additional funding for both the current and subsequent budget years. It allows these districts to present multiple funding proposals to voters, who can approve or reject them. If a proposal for the subsequent budget year is approved, the district is restricted from increasing its adjusted tax levy for that year by the amount authorized in the proposal. Furthermore, the executive county superintendent has the authority to prevent the submission of such proposals if the district has not implemented all potential administrative efficiencies.

The bill also amends existing law to clarify the budget submission process and includes definitions regarding the adjusted tax levy. It mandates that if voters approve additional funding proposals, the district must submit the final budget to the commissioner within 15 days. If the proposals are rejected, the temporary budget will serve as the final budget for that school year. Additionally, it specifies that proposals to increase the tax levy must not include programs or services necessary for students to meet core curriculum standards and requires interpretive statements detailing the intended use of the funds. The bill is set to take effect immediately and will first apply to the 2019-2020 school year.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 18A:7F-5, 18A:7F-5.4, 18A:7F-5.5, 18A:7F-5.6, 18A:7F-37, 18A:7F-39