GARDEN STATE COALITION OF SCHOOLS

EMAILNET 6-17-05

210 West State Street

Trenton, N.J. 08608

       609 394 2828/fax396 7620  ‘www.gscschools.org’ “gscs2000@gmail.com”

Quick Facts:

1. In the FY06 Budget GSCS calls for…Trenton to meet a critical obligation of its own school funding law by…

….. See below…..…

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2. GSCS is hearing…. the Department of Education is agreeing to increase funding for Abbott districts by approximately

 $120-$140M, according to regulations it published this spring. The agreements will put executive branch pressure on the

 legislature to comply by coming up with that funding in the Appropriations Act for FY06. . It would be legislative omission

 not to propose a corresponding increase in state aid for the rest of the state’s school districts – special education aid 

would be the appropriate venue…………………

Yet, to date, the Assembly – citing increased revenues - is seriously considering a full restoration of rebates to the tune

 of nearly $1B which might rule out more a stable form of property tax relief that could be achieved via funding to schools

 by updating state special education aid. See below for further discussion on the why’s and how-to’s here.  Further, 

contrary to current legislative rumor, there is no past practice where an increase in aid for regular districts has resulted 

in an upswing in Abbott ‘supplemental’ aid. In fact, last year Abbott supplemental aid increased over $700 while 

regular district aid increases were minimal.

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3. Serious plans are in the works! GSCS Parent Network [GSPN] is growing…Look for letters to Central Offices 

early next week from the Parent Network on how to help our schools promote quality education…..and focus on S1701…. 

 4. FYI Designation of Abbott Districts: Criteria and Process, Commissioner Librera 6-15-05

                http://www.nj.gov/njded/abbotts/regs/criteria2.htm 

 5. We are waiting:  CEIFA has not been implemented for four years now….when will the state address the absence of an equitable school funding law for all children, and write a new one that is based on the needs of students, no matter where they live?

Note: Commissioner calls for a new funding formula in the above Abbott criteria report.

 6. NEXT BOARD OF TRUSTEES MEETING WEDNESDAY, JULY 13, E Brunswick Bd. of Ed.

Two years ago, legislators understood that funding special education aid to meet its own state mandated requirements was not only good but sensitive “common sense”: doing so helps the neediest of our children no matter where they live, and also directly lessens property tax dollars needed to fund special education programs that locals will be forced to raise even higher in the Governor’s FY06 budget as currently proposed. The proposed Budget does not increase any aid for special education students, period. When Trenton does not keep pace with the required funding for special education programs, at-risk students and regular education students, as well as local taxpayers all bear the brunt imposed by Trenton’s calculated policy to underfund special education needs.