This bill mandates a second enrollment count for school districts in New Jersey to determine State school aid. Currently, districts report resident enrollment based solely on the count from the last school day prior to October 16. The new requirement will add a second count on the last school day prior to February 2, with the district's resident enrollment for aid purposes being calculated as the average of these two counts. The bill also clarifies that students placed in State facilities will only be counted based on the October enrollment count from the prebudget year.

Additionally, the bill includes specific provisions regarding which students are counted in the enrollment figures. It specifies that students receiving home instruction, those in shared-time vocational programs, and children of teaching staff members can be included in the counts. However, preschool, post-graduate, and post-secondary vocational students will not be included. The bill also amends existing legal language to reflect these changes, including adjustments to definitions and reporting requirements related to at-risk pupils and other categories relevant to State aid calculations.

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