GSCS Quick Facts:

 Next Board of Trustees Meetings – Aug 29, 2 pm  (Emergency board meeting at E Brunswick – tentative location, to be confirmed); Sept 27 3:30 pm, E Brunswick.

GSCS Board is to hold ‘emergency’ meeting on August 29 on Special Session on Property Tax Reform

Leadership plans proactive GSCS role in Trenton debate

Excerpt from GSCS memo to GSCS Board:

“…The Executive Board officers have asked me to notify you that it is scheduling an emergency Board of Trustees meeting on August 29 at 2 pm (tentatively at the East Brunswick Board of Education, but you will receive confirmation on the location).

The purpose of the meeting will be to discuss the legislature's current approach to resolving property tax stress via its four 'Special Summer Session' Jt Committees - 2 of which focus on (1) Regionalization and Shared Services and (2) Public School Funding. FYI, the GSCS website has  details on all the committees and media reaction at www.gscschools.org .

The Executive Board officers attended the first [and to date, only] Joint Committee on Public School Funding last week. GSCS observations to date: GSCS considers the Special Session and subsequent consequences to be time of imminent transition for public education in New Jersey. Given the potential for the recommendations of that committee to have a profound impact on quality education, GSCS leadership intends to propose some specific and proactive  strategies to address the critical issues under Trenton's consideration at the board meeting on the 29th….”

ON THE HOMEPAGE today at www.gscschools.org …

8-17-06 Just released: Special Session hearing dates for the 4 Special Session Joint Committees
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8-17-06 State to toughen high school requirements
Live from the Ledger Online.... Corzine led a group of education and business leaders in a State House news conference to trumpet plans for the state to tighten its requirements in all of its core subject areas, such as math, language arts and science.
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8-17-06 Special Education costs & Constitutional Questions re Tax Reform
BERGEN RECORD, Special education students tax districts ..... PRESS OF ATLANTIC CITY, Legislators mull property tax rates for businesses and homes
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8-14-06 News Clips
Property Taxes and school funding articles, GSCS quoted & noted.
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Initial meeting Joint Committee on Public School Funding 8-10-06
As billed on the Ledger website 8-11-06: “Local school districts shortchanged $1.1 billion in 5 yrs by state” ….Education funds tied to rising property tax.

Gannet: The non-Abbott districts have missed out on an estimated $1.1 billion in aid increases as the state ignored its own funding formula for those schools, said Ted Settle, OLS principal research analyst.”

Star Ledger re: NJEA “clout” “…The results are a string of impressive political wins. The Legislature bumped pension payments beyond those the union won at the bargaining table. They banned many school boards from even negotiating for concessions on health care payments. They stripped districts of the right to impose contract terms in the event of stalemate, a big boost for unions during contract talks. "They've gained so much," says Lynne Strickland, director of the Garden State Coalition for Schools, an advocacy group. "The pendulum has swung so far in their direction that it can only swing back now."

Gannett: “TRENTON — Teachers and local government employees could face increased costs for doctors' visits and prescription drugs under a plan pitched by the Corzine administration....The proposal would increase local government workers' copays and mandate the use of generic drugs for some conditions in order to save state and local governments $74 million.”
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August 2006 on - GSCS Noteboard on Special Session Committee meetings
Click below to see information on Joint Committeee meetings of the Special Session on Property Tax Reform. Meeting dates, agenda, presentations before the committees and more.