S 4366 — Permits unexpended State aid for nonpublic school nursing services and nonpublic school security services to be used to support other program.

S4366 1R [First Reprint] SENATE, No.

Senator  VIN GOPAL District 11 (Monmouth)  Senator   ROBERT  W.   SYNOPSIS      Permits unexpended State aid for nonpublic school nursing services and nonpublic school security services to be used to support other program.

SINGER District 30 (Monmouth and Ocean)   CURRENT  VERSION  OF  TEXTSYNOPSIS      AsPermits introduced.unexpended State aid for nonpublic school nursing services and nonpublic school security services to be used to support other program.

  CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT      As reported by the Senate Education Committee on June 1, 2026, with amendments.

            1.  Section 9 of P.L.1991, c.226 (C.18A:40-31) is amended to read as follows:

          9.  a.  The support limit for the 1997-98 school year shall be $61.44.  For each school year thereafter the commissioner shall determine the support limit by multiplying the support limit for the previous school year times the sum of 1.0 plus the average annual percentage increase in the consumer price index for the New York and Philadelphia areas during the fiscal year preceding the prebudget year as reported by the United States Department of Labor.

          b.   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 this1[this actact] P.L.1991, c.226 (C.18A:40-23 et seq.)1 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 may use the unexpended State aid for nonpublic school security services expenditures under P.L.2016, c.49 (C.18A:58-37.8 et seq.). seq.). If the expenditures incurred by any district are less than the total amount of State aid for these programs, the district shall refund the unexpended State aid after the completion of the school year, but not later than December 1 of the following school year.

    1The c.    district Ifshall inreport anyto year,the commissioner the amount of Stateunexpended aidnonpublic appropriatedschool isnursing insufficientservices aid used to carrysupport outnonpublic inschool fullsecurity theservices provisionsexpenditures ofpursuant [thisto act]this P.L.1991,subsection c.226in (C.18A:40-23a etmanner seq.),and theform, commissionerand shallon apportiona thatschedule, appropriationto amongbe thedetermined districtsby inthe proportioncommissioner.1 toIf the Stateexpenditures aidincurred eachby any district wouldare haveless receivedthan had the fulltotal amount of State aid beenfor appropriated. these Inprograms, anythe year, no district shall berefund requiredthe tounexpended makeState expendituresaid forafter the purposescompletion of thisthe actschool inyear, excessbut ofnot thelater amountthan ofDecember State1 aidof receivedthe forfollowing theseschool purposes.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 1[this act] P.L.1991, c.226 (C.18A:40-23 et seq.)1 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:

          5.5.  a.

 a.

          b.   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 this1[this actact] P.L.2016, c.49 (C.18A:58-37.8 et seq.)1 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 may use the unexpended State aid for nonpublic school nursing services expenditures under P.L.1991, c.226 (C.18A:40-23 et seq.). seq.). If the expenditures incurred by any district are less than the total amount of State aid for these programs, the district shall refund the unexpended State aid after the completion of the school year, but not later than December 1 of the following school year.

    1The c.    district Ifshall inreport anyto year,the commissioner the amount of Stateunexpended aidnonpublic appropriatedschool issecurity insufficientservices aid used to carrysupport outnonpublic inschool fullnursing theservices provisionsexpenditures ofpursuant [thisto act]this P.L.2016,subsection c.49in (C.18A:58-37.8a etmanner seq.),and theform, commissionerand shallon apportiona thatschedule, appropriationto amongbe thedetermined districtsby inthe proportioncommissioner.1 toIf the Stateexpenditures aidincurred eachby any district wouldare haveless receivedthan had the fulltotal amount of State aid beenfor appropriated. these Inprograms, anythe year, no district shall berefund requiredthe tounexpended makeState expendituresaid forafter the purposescompletion of thisthe actschool inyear, excessbut ofnot thelater amountthan ofDecember State1 aidof receivedthe forfollowing theseschool purposes.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 1[this act] P.L.2016, c.49 (C.18A:58-37.8 et seq.)1 in excess of the amount of State aid received for these purposes.

This act shall take effect immediately.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.