New Jersey 222nd Legislature Status: Introduced 1 D cosponsors

A 5208 — Establishes certain mechanisms to address significant unanticipated cost increases experienced by school districts.

Last action — COMB/W

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  1. 1
    Introduced
  2. 2
    In Committee
  3. 3
    Passed General Assembly
  4. 4
    Passed Senate
  5. 5
    To Executive
  6. 6
    Enacted

This bill has been introduced in the General Assembly. Introduced June 04, 2026. It must pass committee before a floor vote.

Next likely step: a committee referral and hearing.

Prognosis

Stalled 32% · moderate confidence

Where this bill stands today.

Odds of enactment

Low

How often bills like it became law.

  • Introduced

    Current position in the legislative process.

  • 3 sponsors

    2 primary, 1 co-sponsors signed on.

  • Single-party support

    Sponsorship is currently within one party (1 D).

  • Cleared a recorded vote

    Passed 1 recorded vote so far.

Prognosis reads this bill's own signals — stage, sponsorship breadth, committee status, recorded votes and cross-state momentum. Odds come from a model trained on which bills have become law.

In plain language

Establishes mechanisms to help school districts manage unexpected cost increases.

The bill creates procedures for school districts to address significant unanticipated cost increases. This aims to provide a structured way for districts to manage financial challenges they may encounter.

What this means for you
  • Families: This means families can feel more secure knowing their children's education will be less impacted by unexpected school district costs.

Summary

School districts-estab cert mechanisms, address unanticipated cost increases

Bill Text

  • Introduced View text Current html June 05, 2026

How this bill changes current law

1 change Share ↗

AI-generated reading aid from the bill's amendatory text — verify against the official bill.

This bill amends 1 section(s) of the New Jersey statutes: N.J.S.A. 18A:7F-41.

  • N.J.S.A. 18A:7F-41

    (4) (a) Cost stabilization reserve account. The funds in the reserve account shall be used to finance general fund expenses, excluding staff salary costs, that during the school year cost significantly more than initially anticipated in the budget certified for taxes, including significant unanticipated increases in total health care costs to the extent that those costs are not supported by withdrawals made from the current expense emergency reserve account, student transportation expenses, special education and related services expenses, and other eligible categories of general fund expenses that may be established by rules and regulations promulgated pursuant to subparagraph (b) of this paragraph. A board of education may appropriate funds to establish or supplement the reserve in the district's annual budget. Notwithstanding the provisions of section 2 of P.L.1979, c.294 (C.18A:22-8.1) or any other law, rule, or regulation to the contrary, a board of education may also establish or supplement the reserve account through a transfer by board resolution of any unanticipated revenue and unexpended line-item appropriation amounts, which transfer resolution may be adopted at any point during the school year. A withdrawal from the reserve account may be made at any time and only after the adoption of a board resolution detailing the specific unanticipated cost increases to be supported by the withdrawal and justifying that the withdrawal is necessary for the provision of a thorough and efficient education; except that the withdrawal may require additional approval of the commissioner pursuant to rules and regulations promulgated pursuant to subparagraph (b) of this paragraph. (b) The commissioner shall promulgate, pursuant to the "Administrative Procedure Act," P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), rules and regulations as necessary related to the establishment and maintenance of a cost stabilization reserve account. The rules and regulations shall include, but not be limited to: (i) limits on balances that may exist in the reserve account; (ii) the conditions under which a board of education is required to seek the additional approval of the commissioner prior to withdrawing funds from the reserve account; (iii) criteria for cost increases that would be considered significant and unanticipated and for which withdrawals from the reserve account may be used; (iv) the establishment of eligible categories of expenses for which withdrawals from the reserve account may be used, in addition to those expressly enumerated in subparagraph (a) of this paragraph. (3) A board of education that establishes a cost stabilization reserve account shall: (a) report the total balance in the reserve account, as well as deposits into and withdrawals from the reserve account, in its annual audit pursuant to N.J.S.18A:23-1; (b) report the current total balance in the reserve account, as well as deposits into and withdrawals from the reserve account to date, as part of the board secretary's monthly report presented at the board of education meeting in which a board resolution is adopted to transfer funds into the account or to withdraw funds from the account; and c) provide any additional supporting documentation that may be required by the commissioner pursuant to subsection c. of section 5 of P.L.1996, c.138 (C.18A:7F-5).

    amended

Action History

  1. COMB/W

  2. INT 1RA REF AED

Sponsors

  • Cody D. Miller · Primary
  • Katie Brennan · Cosponsor
  • Rosaura Bagolie · Primary

Sponsorship breakdown

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2 sponsors · 1 co-sponsors · 117 not signed on

Sponsors (2)

Co-sponsors (1)

  • Brennan, Katie

Not signed on (117)

117 members have not signed on to this bill.

Show all 117 →

"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.

Whip count is in markup. Polling the chamber and every recorded vote this session. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Calling the roll · Tallying · Engrossing

Votes

Subjects

education
Cross-referencing the record. Reading this bill against every other bill in the corpus by meaning, not keywords. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Matching · Ranking · Engrossing

Frequently asked questions

What does A 5208 do?
School districts-estab cert mechanisms, address unanticipated cost increases
Who sponsors A 5208?
A 5208 is sponsored by Miller, Cody D., Brennan, Katie, and Bagolie, Rosaura (Democrat).
What is the current status of A 5208?
This bill has been introduced in the General Assembly. Introduced June 04, 2026. It must pass committee before a floor vote.
Where can I track A 5208?
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