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GARDEN STATE COALITION OF SCHOOLS/GSCS
1-3-08
PROPOSED SCHOOL FUNDING FORMULA UPDATE
On the homepage today…
1-3-08 Analysis of State Aid Proposal
The State Aid Proposal 20082009 Reock/Rutgers
In June 2007 a brief paper, Evaluating a New State Aid Formula: Establishing a “Baseline” was prepared and distributed to select audiences, anticipating the release in the fall of the year of a proposed new formula for state aid to New Jersey’s school districts. The “baseline” paper classified existing state aid programs as of 2005-06, enumerated the amount of aid in each classification, and reported the amount of aid of various kinds going to different types of school district when they are grouped by socio-economic status and by local community wealth.
This paper makes use of the data for 2008-09 provided by the Department of Education in December 2007 to make a limited analysis of the impact of the proposed formula in the same context as the earlier “baseline” paper. The legislative bill intended to implement the DOE proposal has not been examined, and a full understanding of the proposed formula may not be possible until detailed calculations for individual school districts are available.
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1-3-08 GSCS Testimony on Proposed School Funding legislation: MAJOR CONCERNS REMAIN, bill is divisive, not good enough to become law…
GSCS Testimony before the Assembly Budget Committee today, 1-3-08, by GSCS President Dan Fishbein and GSCS Contributing Writer, Betsy Ginsburg. Betsy is President of the Board of Education at Glen Ridge, and Dan is Superintendent of the Glen Ridge Schools.
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1-3-08 School Funding Bills being voted on today in Senate & Assembly Budget Committees
Passage of the bills out of committee will set the stage for a floor voted next Monday in both the Assembly and the Senate. If both houses pass the bill then, the bill will go to the Governor for his signature. Once the bill is signed, it will become law...................................................................................................
GSCS NOTES January 3, 2008:
1. Hearings are proceeding in Trenton today in the Senate and Assembly Budget committees on A500/Roberts and S4000/Buono, the new school funding formula legislation. As of last night the bills were still unavailable for public review. While the hearing room is packed with those who have concerns on the proposal, the Senate Budget Committee (10 a.m. hearing) has decided not to allow public testimony; only Commissioner Davy is invited to appear before the committee today; the testimony process in the afternoon Assembly Budget Committee is not certain at this point – it remains to be seen how it will be handled when that committee meeting starts at 2 p.m.
2. GSCS continues to work hard to bring its voice and concerns to Trenton. GSCS President Dan Fishbein/Glen Ridge and Board President Betsy Ginsburg/Glen Ridge are in Trenton today with prepared testimony re GSCS major issues on the bill.
Click on More below for 1)Attorney General's opinion & response to Governor Corzine re whether the school funding proposal should pass constitutional muster, and 2)news articles on the hearings and related controversies from today.
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1-2-08 Link to State Aid data that includes Local Fair Share
Look to the far columns on the right side of the pages to find your districts 'local fair share' as calculated by the state. Local Fair Share is important as it will be a variable in the formula that will have consequences for local districts. For example, if your district is spending over it's 'adequacy budget' and yet still is deemed to be able to tax more at the local level, your district is likely to lose aid. The converse is also likely to be true. Here's the link to copy paste to your browser(from DOE homepage under New Formula for Schools........ http://www.state.nj.us/education/sff/reports/RPUBDEC111SE12X_taxa.lst-dist.pdf
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1-2-08 Funding Proposal news - GSCS has MAJOR CONCERNS on the draft bill
Tomorrow the Senate Budget and Assembly Budget committees are scheduled to hear the school funding bills S4000/Buono and A500/Roberts. At this time, the final bills are not yet public, and are labeled "pending introduction and referral". They will likely be available for public view tomorrow as well. GSCS talking points/concerns on the legislation and a state aid analysis document are attached here FYI.
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12-27-07 GSCS Press Release, Testimonies before Joint Assembly Budget & Education Committees
New School Funding Formula proposal on Trenton's fast track...Hearing today sets up probability of lame duck vote to pass what legislation on the proposed bill (still only in 'draft' form). GSCS has serious reservations with the proposal to date. Click on More here to see several testimonies and GSCS Press Release today...
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