New Jersey Administrative Code
Title 6A - EDUCATION
Chapter 23A - FISCAL ACCOUNTABILITY, EFFICIENCY AND BUDGETING PROCEDURES
Subchapter 2 - EXECUTIVE COUNTY SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS
Section 6A:23A-2.5 - Plan for school district consolidation to create regional school districts

Universal Citation: NJ Admin Code 6A:23A-2.5

Current through Register Vol. 56, No. 18, September 16, 2024

(a) The executive county superintendent, in consultation with the advisory committee, shall study the consolidation of school districts within the county, other than county school districts and school districts operating preschool or kindergarten through grade 12 schools, into one or more all-purpose regional school districts. The study shall focus, to the greatest extent practicable, on the consolidation of school districts that receive students on a tuition basis with the sending school districts, and the consolidation of limited-purpose regional school districts that receive students from constituent municipalities to create enlarged all-purpose regional school districts. The study may also consider school district models of "alternative approaches" from consolidating or sharing administrative or management services between school districts where creation of an all-purpose regional school district is not feasible or is not the most cost-effective option. If a proposed alternative approach is not currently authorized by statute, and the plan with the alternative approach is approved by the Commissioner pursuant to (b) below, the proposal shall not be submitted to the voters in a special election pursuant to N.J.S.A. 18A:7-8, unless and until statutory authorization for the alternative approach is duly enacted.

(b) Based on the study required in (a) above, the Executive County Superintendent shall submit to the Commissioner a plan to achieve this purpose no later than March 15, 2010 pursuant to 18A:7-8(h). The plan shall contain, but not be limited to, the following issues:

1. A general description of the proposed all-purpose regional school district(s), including the names of the constituent school districts, school buildings and grade levels by school district, and the area of the total proposed regional school district;

2. The proposed structure of the new district board of education of the proposed all-purpose regional school district, if applicable, that ensures representation from all constituent communities;

3. An analysis of administrative staffing, collective bargaining agreements, and compensation guides of the constituent school districts and recommendations and guidance for the proposed regional school district, including, but not limited to:
i. The existing administrative organization structures of each constituent school district;

ii. A proposed administrative organization chart for the proposed regional school district;

iii. Copies of each constituent school district's bargaining agreement(s) and the associated salary guides;

iv. A summary report showing each constituent school district's first step and last step of the salary guides for the current and last year of each school district's current bargaining agreement(s), showing the lowest and highest starting salaries among the salary guides and the lowest and highest top salaries among the salary guides for the current and last year of each school district's current bargaining agreement(s), the length of the guide, each school district's current average teacher salary and average years of service, and any provisions for longevity pay;

v. A recommended framework for negotiation of a new collective bargaining agreement in the proposed regional school district;

vi. A recommended framework to assign, recruit, interview, and employ administrative staff in accordance with the positions on the recommended administrative organization chart in accordance with N.J.S.A. 18A:6-31.3 through 31.7; and

vii. A recommended framework to assign, recruit, interview, and employ other teaching staff members and other staff in accordance with N.J.S.A. 18A:6-31.3 through 31.7;

4. An analysis of each proposed constituent school district's educational program and recommendations and guidance for establishing the educational program of the proposed regional school district;

5. An analysis of potential opportunities for greater effectiveness and efficiency including, but not limited to:
i. Consolidation of special education programs and services consistent with the requirements of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), 20 U.S.C. §§ 1400 et seq., State statutes and regulations (examples: more efficient inclusive practices, returning out-of-district placements, staff consolidation, and maximization of special education class sizes to legal limits);

ii. Maximization of student transportation cost savings and other efficiencies through coordinated bell schedules, tiered bus routes, and other efficiencies created by the consolidation of transportation management services;

iii. Consolidation of computer networks and administrative systems such as finance and human resource systems.

iv. Food service operations (example; centralizing meal preparation with satellite cafeterias); and

v. Other areas of consolidation and economies of scale such as staff development, curriculum development, health services, guidance services, media services, extra- and co-curricular activities, and plant operation and maintenance;

6. An analysis of socioeconomic and demographic information, including, but not limited to:
i. Current and projected enrollment data for the succeeding five school years by location, school, and grade, and for the proposed regional school district as a whole;

ii. Enrollment data by location, school, and grade showing the student population's current racial composition and the resulting racial composition for the proposed regional school district as a whole;

iii. Enrollment data showing the school food service eligibility status (free, reduced, or paid) of the student population by location, school, and grade, and for the proposed regional school district as a whole; and

vi. Attendance areas by school building, grade, current and projected enrollment of the constituent school districts, and recommended grade configurations and attendance areas for each existing and proposed school building, if applicable, of the proposed regional school district;

7. A summary of the advantages and disadvantages for each constituent school district of forming an all-purpose regional school district;

8. A recommendation by the executive county superintendent regarding the formation of the proposed regional school district;

9. If the recommendation of the Executive County Superintendent is to form a regional school district, the following additional information shall be included in the plan:
i. A comparison of the estimated State aid and property tax impact for the proposed regional school district and the sum of State aid and property taxes for the constituent school districts;

ii. An impact assessment of property tax apportionment among the constituent school districts using a minimum of three apportionment methods:
(1) The proportion of each constituent municipality's equalized valuation;

(2) A combination using 50 percent of the proportion of each constituent municipality's equalized valuation and 50 percent of the proportion of each constituent school district's pupil enrollments; and

(3) A combination of equalized valuation and pupil enrollments using a percentage split that most closely approximates each proposed constituent school district's current percentage share of the sum of all proposed constituent school districts' current property taxes to the percentage share that would result after a regional school district is newly created or enlarged;

iii. A comprehensive financial analysis of current and projected spending, local community wealth, debt limit and current debt burden, including, but not limited to:
(1) The projected current operating expenses of the proposed regional school district had it operated in the school year in which the plan is issued, and the current operating expenses of the constituent school districts for the school year in which the plan is issued, both individually and in the aggregate;

(2) The aggregate equalized valuation, average equalized valuation, and equalized valuation per pupil of each constituent school district or, if a constituent school district is a regional school district, of each municipality of the regional school district;

(3) The aggregate income, average household income, and aggregate income per pupil of each constituent school district or, if a constituent school district is a regional school district, of each municipality of the regional school district;

(4) The borrowing margin of each constituent school district or, if a regional school district, each municipality of the regional school district, and the projected borrowing margin of the proposed regional school district as determined in accordance with N.J.S.A. 18A:24-1 et seq.;

(5) A schedule showing for each constituent school district, or if a regional school district, its municipalities, the original and current debt principal balance(s) and remaining debt service schedule(s) by debt issuance, and percentage of each constituent school district's debt principal relative to the aggregate debt principal of all proposed constituent school districts;

(6) The individual and aggregate historical and replacement costs as of June 30 of the school year prior to the year in which the plan is issued of school buildings and additions, grounds, furnishings, and equipment of each constituent school district and for the proposed regional school district, as a whole; and

(7) The individual and aggregate projected additional costs as of June 30 of the school year prior to the year in which the plan is issued contained in each constituent school district's approved LRFP of school buildings and additions, grounds, furnishings, and equipment of each constituent school district and for the proposed regional school district, as a whole; and

iv. A LRFP for the regional school district, if new schools and/or additions are recommended that are not currently reflected in the existing plans of the constituent school districts; and

10. If the recommendation of the executive county superintendent also includes an alternative approach for consolidating or sharing administrative or management services, the information in (b)1 through 8 above, as applicable, related to the alternative approach(es) shall be included in the plan.

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