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GARDEN STATE COALITION OF SCHOOLS/GSCS
EMAILNET 11-12-04
Dr. Walter Mahler, President Lynne Strickland, Executive Directo
Betsy Ginsburg, Parent Network Representative/GSPN
Phone 609 394 2828 Fax 609 396 7620 Website ‘gscschools.org’ email ‘gscs@ebnet.org’
GSCS Quick Facts: Member ALERT re S1701 amendment legislation – See below for email ‘send’
HOLD THE DATE: December 9 GSCS-Glen Ridge Regional Grassroots Mtg - Directions below…
ü Next Board of Trustees Meeting: December 8, 4 p.m, E. Brunswick Bd. of Educ. [723 613 6705]
ü Please email/fax GSCS EMAILNETS to your school community. Thank you.
Excerpt from 11-12-04 Gannet article re the Governor & Education/full article attached:
…Lynne Strickland of the Garden State Coalition of Schools said regional meetings on property taxes have attracted crowds of 1,000 people or more. Taxpayers have joined school officials in expressing exasperation over state spending priorities.
"I haven't seen such angst out in the communities since the mid-90s, when they rewrote the school funding formula," Strickland said. "People are really unhappy. They're angry the finger of blame is being pointed at schools for the state's problems. It's hit a crescendo, a fever pitch, and Codey's really being handed an unseemly mess."…
GSCS Member Advocacy Alert: Inform Your Legislator
The Garden State Coalition of Schools requests that legislative leadership post these bills, in particular A3479 and A3362 re: full funding for ‘ extraordinary aid category’ of special education in FY05 - with due speed. Other bills introduced to amend S1701 are S1945 & A3431, S1994, and A3382. These bills need to be expedited to enable the opportunity for fair public discussion of funding issues, which was avoided in the hasty passage of S1701 in June. GSCS continues to advocate for stable funding for schools in FY 05 & FY06, and believes that amendment bills to S1701 need posting now in order to enable any chance of improved school budgeting changes in the next fiscal year.*GSCS will continue to review new legislation as introduced that amends S1701 for the better/see below for summary of bills through November 4.
*Member Alert: Please ‘copy-paste’ this box ( include above two paragraphs), note your town and school district, and send your signed email to the following { Note: pls resend if you followed similar request a few EMAILNETS ago/this list is expanded and also corrects some typos}: sencodey@njleg.org, senlance@njleg.org, senbryant@njleg.org, senturner@njleg.org, sengormley@njleg.org, senconiglio@njleg.org, asmsires@njleg.org, asmroberts@njleg.org, asmstanley@njleg.org, aswwatsoncoleman@njleg.org, asmgreenwald@njleg.org, asmcryan@njleg.org, asmvandrew@njleg.org, asmmayer@njleg.org, asmmalone@njleg.org, asmdecroce@njleg.org, asmmorgan@njleg.org, senbuono@njleg.org, senkarcher@njleg.org, asmpanter@njleg.org, aswstender@njleg.org, aswgreenstein@njleg.org, asmbaroni@njleg.org, senmartin@njleg.org, senpalaia@njleg.org, asmwolfe@njleg.org, asmthompson@njleg.org, asmvas@njleg.org,aswvoss@njleg.org, aswpou@njleg.org, aswoliver@njleg.org, sengill@njleg.org, asmdiegnan@njleg.org, senscutari@njleg.org, senpayne@njleg.org, sendoria@njleg.org, asmpayne@njleg.org, senkenny@njleg.org, asmazzolina@njleg.org, senkean@njleg.org, senjames@njleg.org, senlittell@njleg.org, sensarlo@njleg.org, sensweeney@njleg.org, senkavanaugh@njleg.org, senbark@njleg.org
Overview of bill relating to S1701/Garden State Coalition of Schools 11-4-04
1. 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. Included are several first time cap waivers, e.g., special educ., utility, permanent helath care. 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.
2. 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.
- 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.
Similar to A3479, this legislation provides for full cap relief for special education costs over the prior year.
3. A3382/Azzolina-Thompson 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. Look to combine best of both A3382 & S1994.
4. and 5. S1945/Adler and A3431/Coniglio Identical legislation exempting full cost of hazardous busing, using routes identified as 'hazardous' by municipal police and school district officials (per 1999 law).
ALSO FY05 RELATED BILL: 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].
Garden State Coalition of Schools-Glen Ridge Regional Grassroots Mtg
December 9 2004 7:30 pm: Ridgewood Ave. Upper Elementary School
Public Support for Public Education v. Property Tax Stress
‘Let’s Address the Real Cost Drivers: Schools are Not the Culprit’
Directions to Ridgewood Avenue Upper Elementary School/Glen Ridge New Jersey
From the West: Route 280 East to Exit 8B (Cedar Grove, Prospect Ave.) to Bloomfield Avenue. Right on Bloomfield Avenue, through Montclair into Glen Ridge; make a left onto Ridgewood Avenue. Middle School is on the right-hand corner of Ridgewood and Bloomfield, #235 Ridgewood Ave.
From the East: Route 23 to Bloomfield Avenue. Left on Bloomfield Avenue, through Montclair into Glen Ridge; make a left onto Ridgewood Avenue. Middle School is on the right-hand corner of Ridgewood and Bloomfield, #235 Ridgewood Ave.
From North: Parkway South, Exit 151 (Watchung Ave.), right off exit onto Watchung Ave., at third light turn left onto Ridgewood Ave., through two traffic lights, school is on left-hand corner (corner of Ridgewood and Bloomfield Ave.)
From South: Parkway North, Exit 148 (Bloomfield Ave.), stay to left making jug-handle, turning right onto Bloomfield Avenue; at sixth traffic light (Ridgewood Ave.) turn right onto Ridgewood Avenue; School is on the right-hand corner of Ridgewood and Bloomfield Ave., #235 Ridgewood Ave.
