New Jersey Governor Chris Christie signed legislation sponsored by Senate Republican Budget Officer Anthony Bucco (R-Morris) to give municipalities more time to review defeated school budgets whenever the annual school district elections are postponed due to religious holidays, as will happen this year.
“I’ve worked hard with local government leaders to make sure municipal boards will have enough time to thoroughly review defeated school budgets and determine how much of the people’s property taxes are necessary to fund each budget item,” Bucco said. “It’s common sense to give them the same amount of time from the election to the deadline to modify a defeated school spending plan.”
Under former law, if the voters reject any item submitted at the annual school election on the third Tuesday in April, then the governing body of each of the municipalities included in the district must determine an appropriate school spending plan by May 19.
Bucco’s law, formerly bill S2458, provides that whenever the commissioner changes the date of the annual April school election pursuant to a 2009 law, the commissioner must also change the May 19th deadline to ensure that municipal bodies have the same number of days to make their school spending determinations. That 2009 law allows the Commissioner of Education to change that school election date from the third Tuesday of April if it conflicts with a religious holiday.
“This year’s school election date falls on Passover, and the Commissioner of Education has already decided to move the election date back,” Bucco noted. “Without this extra time, municipalities would have had too much pressure to conduct a detailed financial analysis and the people’s money could be misspent.”
New Jersey's 16 Senate Republicans serve to protect families; make this state more affordable; create jobs; improve education for all students regardless of their ZIP code; and hold all levels of government accountable. This caucus urges the Senate Democrats, who at this time determine what legislation is considered, to work with us to adopt the people's priorities for New Jersey: http://www.senatenj.com/front/mission.php. Follow Senate Republicans on Social Media: http://www.senatenj.com/index.php/general/follow-the-new-jersey-senate-republicans-on-social-media/15028.
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