Board Meeting Agenda November 10,  2004
East Brunswick Board of Education, 4:00 – 5:30p.m. 

Ø      Next Board Meetings [East Brunswick 4 pm]: December 8, 2004.

Ø      GSCS-Glen Ridge Regional Meeting December 9, 2004 [7:30 p.m.]

Treasurer’s Report: Marjorie Heller
                             Mike Gorski, CPA

President’s Report:  Walter Mahler

Upcoming Regional Meetings:

Ø      GSCS-Glen Ridge Regional Meeting: Betsy Ginsburg, Dan Fishbein

Ø      Ewing     Date/Location to be annount

Ø      Mt Laurel   February 10  

Executive Director’s Report:  Lynne Strickland

• Recent new GSCS members:  Fair Haven, Marlboro, Red Bank Regional, South Plainfield, Piscataway
   
• DOE Outreach:  Student Conduct Code/handout 
   
• Constitutional Convention Task Force: Special Testimony session October 29 GSCS invited to present, along w/ NJEA, NJSAB and ELC. See GSCS Testimony/handout 

S1701  Related Amendments/Legislation:  

A3479 [Assemblymen Greenwald, Louis D./Cryan, Joseph/Van Drew, Jeff : Primary Sponsors & Mayer, David R/Co-Sponsor] Revises school district budget cap adjustments for special education and courtesy busing, makes permanent adjustment for insurance and domestic security, and provides adjustment for utility costs.

This bill is a positive step is acknowledging that there are many costs over which schools have no control. A3479 allows cap relief for

• special education costs [as defined by the Commissioner of Education] and
• utilities cost increases over the prior year
• structures a 5 year phase-out of cap relief for courtesy/safety busing and holds this relief harmless in the first year.
• establishes permanent cap waivers for insurances, health costs and domestic security.  

S1994 [Senator Coniglio, Joseph/Primary Sponsor] Revises the calculation of school district budget caps and eliminates the restrictions on the submission of separate proposal for additional spending. This legislation recognizes that S1701 restrictions on second questions would curtail the delivery of quality education and programs.

The bill restores local control by eliminating the county superintendent and/Commissioner approval process.  However, the bill makes the local district subject to a performance management audit conducted by the State Auditor upon the submission of such proposals. A potential drawback of the performance audit requirement is that current staffing levels at the Auditor’s office are low. Thus the audits could not be done in the time frame required, and the second question process would likely be stymied. 

It also returns the cap to 3% [revised upward from 2.5% in S1701] or CPI, whichever is greater.  

ü      Similar to A3479, this legislation provides for full cap relief for special education costs over the prior year. 

A3382/Azzolina  Eliminates restrictions on the submission of separate school budget proposals for additional funds and maintains school district surplus at 3% in the 2005-2006 school year and thereafter. Similar to S1994 regarding second question issues, but includes maintaining 3% surplus as well.  

S1945/Adler and A3431/Coniglio

Identical legislation empting full cost of hazardous busing.

A3362/Greenwald  appropriates $18.3M in FY05 for Extraordinary Aid for Special Education. This means that the category of extraordinary aid for special education funding will be funded at 100% in this fiscal year [2004-2005]. 

4. Work Session: GSCS Top Ten Lists  

[1] How to Help Schools Contain Costs/specifics 

            [2] S1701 issues and recommendations 

5. Board Discussion and Adjournment.

Reminder: GSCS Strategy Points:

[1] TOOLS for SCHOOLS
[2] TRENTON IS THE REAL CULPRIT, NOT LOCAL SCHOOLS  
[3] TELL TRENTON AND PUBLIC WHAT WE WANT AND WHAT WE NEED to further quality education yet not overburden tax payer. 

• Legislator meetings at local level
• Key Legislator/Trenton meetings  - executive board/work groups
• Report data separately for Non Abbotts

[4] Make use of GSCS strength:  Informed Grassroots, use political process.