6c6f9896_nce_for_Public_Charter_Schools__Charter_Law_Description
[State] New Jersey [Score] 0 [Charter Law Description] 
New Jersey law requires the school district of residence to pay directly to the charter school for each student enrolled in the charter school who resides in the district an amount equal to the lower of either 90 percent of the program budget per pupil for the specific grade level in the district or 90 percent of the maximum T&E amount (which is defined in state law). The law provides that the per-pupil amount paid to the charter school shall not exceed the program budget per pupil for the specific grade level in the district in which the charter school is located. The law also provides that for any student enrolled in a charter school in which 90 percent of the program budget per pupil for the specific grade level is greater than 90 percent of the maximum T&E amount, the state shall pay the difference between the two amounts. In the case of a student who was not included in the district’s projected resident enrollment for the school year, the law requires the state to pay 100 percent of the amount required pursuant to subsection b of this section for the first year of the student’s enrollment in the charter school. New Jersey law allows for substantial funding disparities by some charter schools relative to regular district schools caused by the exclusion of charter schools from state adjustment aid payments. The law also provides that the district of residence shall pay directly to the charter school any categorical aid attributable to the student, provided the student is receiving appropriate categorical services, and any federal funds attributable to the student. The law requires local school boards to provide transportation or aid in lieu of transportation for K-12 students attending charter schools. In a recent national study of charter school funding (University of Arkansas, Charter School Funding: Inequity Expands, 2014), New Jersey charter schools were receiving on average $14,887 per pupil in public funds, while traditional public schools would have received $21,834 for those students. As a result, the state’s charter schools were receiving $6,947 per pupil—or 31.8 percent—less than what the traditional public schools would have received for those students. This figure includes all sources of funding, and analysis reveals significant inequities for both operational and capital funding (see Component #19 for information on capital issues).
18. Equitable Operational Funding and Equal Access to All State and Federal Categorical Funding | National Alliance for Public Charter Schools
Charter Law Description