16. a. A school district under full State intervention shall make an annual report of its progress in complying with the quality performance indicators adopted pursuant to section 10 of P.L.1975, c.212 (C. 18A:7A-10). The commissioner shall formally report to the State board and to the Governor and the Legislature on the district’s progress.

b. Based upon the annual report of progress, but not sooner than three years after the establishment of the school district under full State intervention, the commissioner may recommend that the State board place the school district under partial State intervention or elsewhere on the performance continuum. If the State board so determines, the school district shall be placed under partial State intervention or designated as transitioning to local control or placed elsewhere on the performance continuum effective on the July 1 next ensuing.

c. Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, if a district under full State intervention is placed under partial State intervention, the board of education shall continue to have the rights, powers, and duties of an advisory board, until the district successfully meets the quality performance indicators for the governance component of school district effectiveness.

Despite the continuation of the board of education as an advisory board, the State board, upon the recommendation of the commissioner, may return some voting functions to the board of education as part of and in furtherance of the process of a transition to local control. If some voting functions are returned to the board of education, the commissioner or his designee shall have the authority to veto any action by the board of education until the governance component of school district effectiveness is returned to local control. A true copy of the minutes of every meeting of the board of education shall be forthwith delivered by and under the certification of the secretary thereof to the commissioner or his designee. No action taken at that meeting of the board of education shall have force or effect until 15 days after a copy of the minutes shall have been so delivered unless during that 15-day period the commissioner or his designee shall approve those minutes, in which case the action shall become effective upon that approval. If, in the 15-day period, the commissioner or his designee returns the copy of those minutes with a veto of any action taken by the board of education or any member thereof at that meeting, the action shall be null and void and of no effect.

d. In the event that the State board, upon the recommendation of the commissioner, has appointed a State district superintendent in a district under full State intervention, the State district superintendent shall continue to hold that position until the district successfully meets the quality performance indicators for the governance component of school district effectiveness. If the district is placed under partial State intervention and has successfully met the quality performance indicators for the governance component of school district effectiveness, or if the State has completely withdrawn from intervention and returned the district to local control, then the board of education shall be permitted to extend the contract of the superintendent who holds the position at the time that the district is placed under partial State intervention or is returned to local control, provide 18-months’ notice to the superintendent to modify the contract, or allow the contract in effect to expire with the appropriate statutory notice pursuant to subsection b. of section 4 of P.L.1991, c.267 (C. 18A:17-20.1).

e. If the district successfully meets the quality performance indicators for the governance component of school district effectiveness, not more than one year following the placement of the district under partial State intervention or return to local control, the board shall call a special election for purposes of placing the question of classification status before the voters of the district, which election shall be conducted in accordance with the provisions of Title 19 of the Revised Statutes concerning school elections.

f. If the voters of the district shall elect to become a type I district, it shall be governed by the provisions of chapter 9 of Title 18A of the New Jersey Statutes relating to type I districts after January 31 next ensuing, unless the district is established in a city of the first class, in which case it shall be governed after June 30 next ensuing. The members of the district board of education at the time of said election shall continue in office until expiration of their respective terms and the qualification in office of their successors.

g. If the voters of the district shall so select that the district shall become a type II district, it shall be governed by the provisions of chapter 9 of Title 18A relating to type II districts and the members of the board of education at the time of said election shall remain and continue in office until the expiration of their respective terms and the qualification of their respective successors.

h. If the commissioner cannot recommend that the school district under full State intervention be placed under partial State intervention within three years, then the commissioner shall provide a comprehensive report to the State board and to the Governor and the Legislature, including a detailed analysis of the causes for the failure of the district to comply with the quality performance indicators and an assessment of the amount of time necessary for the continuation of the school district under full State intervention. On the basis of that report the State board shall determine whether to continue the school district under full State intervention or return the district to partial State intervention.

L.1987,c.399,s.16; amended 1995, c.179, s.6; 1995, c.278, s.25; 2005, c.235, s.27; 2007, c.16, s.18.