New Jersey Assembly Bill A1404

New Jersey 2022-2023 Regular Session

• Introduced: 1/11/22
• Refer: 1/11/22

Caption

Establishes New Jersey Property Tax Relief and Education Empowerment Program to provide both property tax relief to citizens and educational grants to certain students enrolled in nonpublic schools.

Impact

The bill specifies that eligible students must come from households earning up to 3.70 times the federal poverty threshold for a family of four, reflecting a significant focus on providing assistance to lower-income households. Students must also meet certain criteria, including prior enrollment in a public school and not being classified as needing special education services. The financial implications are designed to reduce the burden of local school taxes via savings created from the education empowerment grants, which would allow school districts to receive state aid and reduce local property tax burdens.

Summary

Assembly Bill A1404 aims to establish the New Jersey Property Tax Relief and Education Empowerment Program, which seeks to provide property tax relief to residents and educational grants to eligible students attending nonpublic schools. The program facilitates financial assistance by offering education empowerment grants based on the lower of the school’s per pupil cost or 50% of the resident district's annual spending per pupil. This program will be administered by the New Jersey Department of Education, which will oversee the participation of nonpublic schools and the eligibility of students.

Contention

Opposition to the bill may stem from concerns regarding the allocation of state funding to nonpublic education at the potential expense of public school resources. Critics argue that the program could divert necessary funds away from public schools, which serve the majority of students in New Jersey, and that it promotes a dual education system that may not adequately preserve public education standards. Moreover, establishing eligibility criteria might exclude certain demographics and create disparities in educational access. Advocates for public education reform are likely to highlight these issues in ongoing discussions around the bill.