Quality Public Education for All New Jersey Students

 

 
     Property Tax Reform, Special Legislative Session & School Funding
8-29-06 Assoc Press - School Funding to be reviewd today
"The special committee on school funding reform was to hear from the state Education Department about the school funding formula, which hasn't been fully implemented for five years." GSCS FYI - The agenda also includes presenters from 2 school districts, Union City and Brigantine; DOE presenters on school funding are Jessica DeKoninck - Director Govt Relations, Katie Atwood - Division of School Finance, and Bob Goertz - DOE Budget office.

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School funding to be reviewed today

By TOM HESTER Jr.
Associated Press Writer


 

TRENTON -- The state's school funding law, shoved aside by recent state budget woes, will be examined today at a meeting of legislators considering changes in the way New Jersey pays for public education.

The special committee on school funding reform was to hear from the state Education Department about the school funding formula, which hasn't been fully implemented for five years.

State aid for most schools hasn't increased in that time, forcing them to rely more heavily on property taxes, which have increased about 7 percent per year in recent years. They are the highest in the nation at $6,000 per property owner, twice the national average.

The school funding panel, among four considering property tax reform ideas, also was scheduled to hear testimony from Stanley Sanger, the Union City schools superintendent, and Robert Previti, the Brigantine schools chief, on ways to save money.

About 55 percent of the property tax money collected annually in New Jersey goes toward schools, and about $10 billion of the $30 billion spent every year by the state goes to school operations.

A state Supreme Court ruling -- stemming from concerns that children in poor city schools don't receive the same quality of education as those in wealthy suburban schools -- requires the state to provide heavy funding for 31 districts designated as needing special help.

Those districts have about 22 percent of the state's student population, but they get about 55 percent of all state school aid.

Meanwhile, the state hasn't increased financial aid to most other schools for five years amid chronic state budget deficits. Middle-income districts in particular contend the failure to increase state aid annually has led to sharp property tax increases.

The four committees are to devise property tax cutting recommendations by Nov. 15 as part of an effort to slice New Jersey's property taxes by the end of the year.

Gov. Jon Corzine wants to cut projected property tax growth by about 20 percent by 2010.
Published: August 29. 2006 6:03AM