Current through Register Vol. 56, No. 18, September 16, 2024
(a) To
enroll in a charter school, the student first shall be registered in the school
district in which he or she resides. For any student who applies for enrollment
in a charter school, the district board of education in which the charter
school applicant resides shall process the student's registration for the
subsequent school year upon submission of the registration forms. A district
board of education shall process in a timely manner all such registrations,
including the assessment of residency and the subsequent transfer to the
charter school, and shall identify the specific categorical aid for which each
student qualifies.
(b) Actual
average daily enrollment in a charter school shall not exceed the enrollment as
specified in the school's charter and approved by the Commissioner.
(c) A district board of education shall pay
to a charter school aid the school district receives for categorical programs,
pursuant to
N.J.S.A.
18A:36A-12.b. The aid shall be paid to a
charter school in the amount that is attributable to each resident student
enrolled in the charter school.
(d)
A district board of education that receives preschool education aid, pursuant
to N.J.S.A. 18A:7F-54, shall pay to
a charter school the amount of preschool education aid attributable to a
resident student attending the charter school if:
1. The charter school has a concentration of
at-risk pupils, as defined in
N.J.S.A.
18A:7F-45, that is equal to or greater than
40 percent; and
2. The resident
student is receiving appropriate services to be funded through preschool
education aid.
(e) All
categorical aid paid to a charter school by a district board of education shall
be accounted for in the general fund of the charter school. Preschool aid is
restricted and shall be accounted for in fund 20.
(f) A charter school may apply directly to
the Commissioner for aid for high-cost placement for a special education
student in accordance with
N.J.S.A.
18A:7F-55.b and c.
(g) A district board of education shall
process payment(s) and payment adjustments to a charter school during the
school year as follows:
1. The district of
residence and non-resident school district(s) shall initiate payments to the
charter school based on projected enrollment, as set forth in this
section.
2. The school district of
residence and non-resident school district(s) shall pay directly to a charter
school the local share per pupil at the charter school rate, pursuant to
N.J.S.A.
18A:36A-12.b, in 12 equal installments
starting July 15 and thereafter on the 15th of each month.
3. Pursuant to
N.J.S.A.
18A:36A-12.b, the school district of
residence and non-resident school district(s) shall pay directly to the charter
school the following aid in 20 equal installments on the 9th and 23rd of every
month starting with September 9 and ending with June 23, or as established by
the Legislature:
i. The State share per pupil
at the charter school rate; and
ii.
Categorical aid attributable to the student.
4. The charter school shall submit to the
resident school district a listing of all students on roll on October 15 in a
format prescribed by the school district for purposes of determining State aid.
Pursuant to the guidelines in the school register, the charter school shall
also submit to the school district copies of all source documents related to
the determination of State aid.
5.
During the school year, a charter school board of trustees shall conduct an
enrollment count on October 15 and the last day of the school year. A charter
school board of trustees shall submit each count in a summary school register
for the purposes of determining average daily enrollment.
i. The charter school board of trustees shall
submit the summary school register to the Commissioner no later than one week
after the two enrollment counts required pursuant to (g)5 above.
(1) All aid paid to the charter school by the
school district will be adjusted accordingly from projected enrollment to
average daily enrollment on October 15 and the adjustment shall be spread
evenly over the remaining pay periods in the school year.
(2) A final adjustment shall be calculated at
year-end to account for changes in the average daily enrollment from October 15
to the end of the school year.
(3)
The Commissioner will issue a report for the end-of-year adjustment to both the
charter school and the district of residence and non-resident school
district(s) after the final enrollment count. If there is a reduction in aid,
the charter school shall pay the full amount to the school district no later
than September 30 of the subsequent school year. If there is an increase in
aid, the school district shall pay the full amount to the charter school no
later than September 30 of the subsequent school year.
(4) A district board of education and a
charter school board of trustees may change the payment provisions, as outlined
in (g)2, 3, and 4 above, if mutual agreement can be reached on an alternative
payment schedule.
(A) Such change in the
payment provisions shall be effective only for the stated school
year.
(B) Such change in the
payment provisions shall require the written approval of both the charter
school board of trustees and the district board of education through
resolutions. The charter school board of trustees and the district board of
education shall submit to the Commissioner a copy of its resolution on or
before July 1 of the school year in which the payment schedule is
effective.
6. If a district board of education falls
behind by 15 days in the payment schedule in (g)2, 3, 4, and 5 above, a charter
school board of trustees may petition the Commissioner to have the amounts owed
to the charter school deducted from the district board of education's State aid
and paid directly to the charter school.
7. The Commissioner may adjust the payment
schedule based on the effective date of the final granting of the charter or
based on significant change in enrollment during the school year.
