This bill mandates a second enrollment count for school districts in New Jersey to determine State school aid, revising the current law that only requires a single count. Specifically, the resident enrollment of a school district will now be calculated as the average of the number of students enrolled on the last school day prior to October 16 and the last school day prior to February 2 of the current school year. The bill also clarifies that students receiving home instruction, those in shared-time vocational programs, and children of teaching staff members will be included in these counts, while preschool, post-graduate, and post-secondary vocational students will not.

Additionally, the bill amends existing provisions regarding the enrollment counts for students placed in State facilities, stating that these counts will only be conducted on the last school day prior to October 16 of the prebudget year. The language in the bill also updates definitions and reporting requirements to align with the new enrollment counting process, ensuring that the data collected is comprehensive and accurate for the purpose of determining State aid.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 18A:7B-2, 18A:7F-33, 18A:4F-45