A 5153 — Requires unexpended State aid for nonpublic school nursing services and nonpublic school security services to be used to support nonpublic school transportation services.*

A5153 ACS ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR ASSEMBLY, No.

5153 STATE OF NEW JERSEY 222nd LEGISLATURE   INTRODUCEDADOPTED MAYJUNE 28,15, 2026     Sponsored by:

SCHAER District 36 (Bergen and Passaic)    Co-Sponsored  by:   SYNOPSIS      Permits unexpended State aid for nonpublic school nursing services and nonpublic school security services to be used to support other program.

Assemblywoman Brennan, Assemblyman Simonsen, Assemblywoman Swain and Assemblyman Tully   CURRENT  VERSION  OF  TEXTSYNOPSIS      AsRequires introduced.unexpended State aid for nonpublic school nursing services and nonpublic school security services to be used to support nonpublic school transportation services.

    AnCURRENT ActVERSION concerningOF StateTEXT aid     forSubstitute nonpublicas schoolsadopted andby amendingthe P.L.1991,Assembly c.226Education andCommittee. P.L.2016, c.49.

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

     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[this actact] P.L.1991, c.226 (C.18A:40-23 et seq.) 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 mayshall userefund the unexpended State aid forafter nonpublicthe schoolcompletion securityof servicesthe expendituresschool underyear, P.L.2016,but c.49not (C.18A:58-37.8later etthan seq.). December If1 of the expendituresfollowing incurredschool byyear.  anyAny districtunexpended arenonpublic lessschool thannursing theservices totalaid amountrefunded ofto the State aidafter forthe thesecompletion programs,of the districtschool year shall refundbe theused unexpendedto Stateincrease aid after the completionmaximum amount of thenonpublic school year,transportation butcosts notper laterpupil thanprovided Decemberfor 1in ofN.J.S.18A:39-1 for the school year succeeding 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[this actact] P.L.1991, c.226 (C.18A:40-23 et seq.) in excess of the amount of State aid received for these purposes.

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:

     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[this actact] P.L.2016, c.49 (C.18A:58-37.8 et seq.) 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 mayshall userefund the unexpended State aid forafter nonpublicthe schoolcompletion nursingof servicesthe expendituresschool underyear, P.L.1991,but c.226not (C.18A:40-23later etthan seq.). December If1 of the expendituresfollowing incurredschool byyear.  anyAny districtunexpended arenonpublic lessschool thansecurity theservices totalaid amountrefunded ofto the State aidafter forthe thesecompletion programs,of the districtschool year shall refundbe theused unexpendedto Stateincrease aid after the completionmaximum amount of thenonpublic school year,transportation butcosts notper laterpupil thanprovided Decemberfor 1in ofN.J.S.18A:39-1 for the school year succeeding 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[this actact] P.L.2016, c.49 (C.18A:58-37.8 et seq.) in excess of the amount of State aid received for these purposes.

P.L.2016, c.49, s.5)        3.3.  This act shall take effect immediately.

This act shall take effect immediately.

    STATEMENT        This bill would allow unexpended State aid for either the nonpublic school nursing services aid program or the nonpublic school security aid program to be used to support the services provided under the other program.

 Under current law, in the event that the expenditures incurred by a school district are less than the State aid received to support required nursing or security services provided to nonpublic schools, the district is required to refund the unexpended State aid after the completion of the school year.  This bill would permit unexpended funds in either program to be used to support expenditures in the other program, before those funds are required to be refunded to the State.