Governor Signs Law Expanding Voting Rights for Sending School Districts

By: Robert A. Muccilli, Esq.
Editor: Sanmathi (Sanu) Dev, Esq.

For years, sending school districts have felt left out of many important decisions made by the receiving districts to which they send their students and to which they pay tuition. That will no longer be the case under a new law signed by Governor Christie on July 21, 2017 (S. Res. 3191, 217th Leg., 2d Sess. (N.J. 2017)) which greatly expands the voting rights of sending districts.

Representative of sending districts are no longer limited to voting on tuition, certain bill lists or contracts, new capital construction to be utilized by sending district pupils, key personnel actions involving teaching staff members and professional administrative staff, and curricular/extracurricular programs involving pupils of the sending district. In addition to these subjects, representatives of sending districts are now permitted to vote on any matter directly involving sending district students or programs and services utilized by them, approval of the annual receiving district budget, and any collectively-negotiated agreement or individual employment contracts involving employees who provide services utilized by sending district’s students. In addition, sending district voting rights are expanded to include any matter concerning governance of the receiving board, including the selection of board president and vice-president, approval of board bylaws and the employment of professionals or consultants such as attorneys architects, engineers, or others who provide services to the receiving district.

Districts which send or receive students will want to understand how these voting rights affect agenda items in advance of their next board meeting.

Tags: board of education, legislation, sending school districts