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GSCS thanks the members, friends and panelists who attended our recent regional meetings in Leonia in Bergen County and Haddonfield in Camden County. We especially appreciate the support and hospitality of these two GSCS Trustee Districts. At the beginning of this school year when GSCS scheduled the two regional meetings, we certainly couldn’t have anticipated how timely they would be. Who could have predicted that we would be talking about the arrival of Federal stimulus funding, a pension deferral bill, or a recommendation to the NJ Supreme Court regarding the constitutionality of the School Funding Reform Act (SFRA)? These were just a few of the topics discussed by Commissioner of Education Lucille Davy; NJN news director Michael Aron; reporter Dustan McNichol; District of the Chathams superintendent and GSCS president James O’Neill; and Lynne Strickland, GSCS executive director.
Highlights of the conversation include:
On the Constitutionality of the School Funding Reform Act (SFRA)
• Commissioner Davy called the finding from the Court-appointed “Special Master” that the SFRA is constitutional and provides adequate resources for a Thorough and Efficient education “a victory for NJ children.” Noting that spending for parity will no longer be an issue, she explained that the SFRA generates generous resources for education that can be shifted to meet the needs of all children.
• Lynne Strickland called herself “relieved and hopeful” that a united education community now can work together to solve common problems. “Rather than talking about keeping education spending down, we can work together so that the quality of education isn’t pushed down.” And Jim O”Neill cited former funding efforts as “pitting people against each other.”
On the 4% Tax Revenue Cap • The Commissioner reminded her listeners that, while the SFRA and the 4% cap work together to provide fair and equitable funding while keeping property taxes down, the three-year-old cap was imposed for only five years. In two years she must make a recommendation, and the Legislature will take up this topic again.
• She noted that the cap has been effective in holding down tax increases, but since not all districts are getting an increase in state aid this year, some communities will see local property taxes go up. But many school districts are recognizing the burden on their local taxpayers and are presenting their budgets under cap. On the Pension Deferral Option
• Noting that the Governor doesn’t think this a good option except under the most “extraordinary circumstances,” Commissioner Davy explained that the state will hold back from each school district state aid in the amount of 50% of the district’s April pension payment to PERS. The deductions will be spread over several aid payments.
• The deferment is an optional one-year plan. But the aid will be withheld, even if a district still makes its full pension payment.
• Since aid to education totals over one third of the state budget, the Commissioner feels it is only fair that education does its part to help plug the gap in the current state budget caused by deficit revenues. (Note: In its testimony to both the Senate and Assembly Budget Committees, GSCS declared that the deferral plan builds a hole in school budgets that will cost more to fill in future dollars.)
On Federal Stimulus Funding • According to the Commissioner, school districts will see the benefits of the stimulus package in the “running” of the SFRA for 2009-10, in aid for debt service and school construction projects, and in Title 1 and IDEA grants. The Title 1 and IDEA grants will go through the DOE directly to local districts. The Governor has dedicated 82% of NJ’s stabilization aid to education.
• In response to GSCS’ concern that districts will receive official notice of their increased funding too late to help with budgets being finalized now, Commissioner Davy said the DOE has been assured that the answer will come soon, perhaps as soon as March 27.
• Both the State and local districts will be held accountable that the funding be used to strengthen education efforts in four areas: standards and assessments, teacher effectiveness, comprehensive data systems, and raising individual school performance.
On State Mandates
• While generally agreeing with GSCS’ call for a moratorium on implementing new initiatives until school funding is more stable, the Commissioner cited the High School initiative and the push for high quality preschool in the universal districts as important areas the DOE continues to move forward. The preschool focus will “help close the learning gap right from the start.” And in the High School redesign proposal the Commissioner called the Algebra II requirement for all students a “misnomer.” She instead called for a third year of math that would not be Algebra II in the true sense, but use Algebra II concepts.
On Regionalization and Consolidation
• Acknowledging that the Executive County Superintendents are moving ahead with ways to combine school districts, Commissioner Davy noted that they are expected to make recommendations to her by June 2010. Final recommendations would then be presented to the voters in the affected districts. She differentiated between regionalization and consolidation.
• Regionalization has its genesis in state statutes that pool community assets. Questions arise about assumption of existing debt service and which salary guides will be used. And since the wealthier community ends up paying more to get the same services, voters usually turn down the proposal.
• The Commissioner sees consolidation as more of a shared services situation in which K-8 districts in a sending – receiving arrangement with a high school consolidate administrative services, with the larger high school district being the lead agency. Besides being more cost effective, she sees this arrangement as benefiting the smaller districts by providing services they can’t afford alone and providing articulation of courses among the districts as they prepare students for high school.
• “The days of competing with our neighbors are done,” she said. “We are competing in a global economy with people around the world.”
And a Closing Thought
• Commissioner Davy reminded us that these are unusual times with many worthy causes competing for very limited state resources. Education has come this far in the state budget process for next year relatively untouched. It would be beneficial to maintain a dialogue with the Legislature to ensure that the funds earmarked by the Governor for education remain with that designation.
Printed again here for your convenience in copying/readability:
GSCS thanks the members, friends and panelists who attended our recent regional meetings in Leonia in Bergen County and Haddonfield in Camden County. We especially appreciate the support and hospitality of these two GSCS Trustee Districts.
At the beginning of this school year when GSCS scheduled the two regional meetings, we certainly couldn’t have anticipated how timely they would be. Who could have predicted that we would be talking about the arrival of Federal stimulus funding, a pension deferral bill, or a recommendation to the NJ Supreme Court regarding the constitutionality of the School Funding Reform Act (SFRA)? These were just a few of the topics discussed by Commissioner of Education Lucille Davy; NJN news director Michael Aron; reporter Dustan McNichol; District of the Chathams superintendent and GSCS president James O’Neill; and Lynne Strickland, GSCS executive director.
Highlights of the conversation include:
On the Constitutionality of the School Funding Reform Act (SFRA)
• Commissioner Davy called the finding from the Court-appointed “Special Master” that the SFRA is constitutional and provides adequate resources for a Thorough and Efficient education “a victory for NJ children.” Noting that spending for parity will no longer be an issue, she explained that the SFRA generates generous resources for education that can be shifted to meet the needs of all children.
• Lynne Strickland called herself “relieved and hopeful” that a united education community now can work together to solve common problems. “Rather than talking about keeping education spending down, we can work together so that the quality of education isn’t pushed down.” And Jim O”Neill cited former funding efforts as “pitting people against each other.”
On the 4% Tax Revenue Cap
• The Commissioner reminded her listeners that, while the SFRA and the 4% cap work together to provide fair and equitable funding while keeping property taxes down, the three-year-old cap was imposed for only five years. In two years she must make a recommendation, and the Legislature will take up this topic again.
• She noted that the cap has been effective in holding down tax increases, but since not all districts are getting an increase in state aid this year, some communities will see local property taxes go up. But many school districts are recognizing the burden on their local taxpayers and are presenting their budgets under cap.
On the Pension Deferral Option
• Noting that the Governor doesn’t think this a good option except under the most “extraordinary circumstances,” Commissioner Davy explained that the state will hold back from each school district state aid in the amount of 50% of the district’s April pension payment to PERS. The deductions will be spread over several aid payments.
• The deferment is an optional one-year plan. But the aid will be withheld, even if a district still makes its full pension payment.
• Since aid to education totals over one third of the state budget, the Commissioner feels it is only fair that education does its part to help plug the gap in the current state budget caused by deficit revenues. (Note: In its testimony to both the Senate and Assembly Budget Committees, GSCS declared that the deferral plan builds a hole in school budgets that will cost more to fill in future dollars.)
On Federal Stimulus Funding
• According to the Commissioner, school districts will see the benefits of the stimulus package in the “running” of the SFRA for 2009-10, in aid for debt service and school construction projects, and in Title 1 and IDEA grants. The Title 1 and IDEA grants will go through the DOE directly to local districts. The Governor has dedicated 82% of NJ’s stabilization aid to education.
• In response to GSCS’ concern that districts will receive official notice of their increased funding too late to help with budgets being finalized now, Commissioner Davy said the DOE has been assured that the answer will come soon, perhaps as soon as March 27.
• Both the State and local districts will be held accountable that the funding be used to strengthen education efforts in four areas: standards and assessments, teacher effectiveness, comprehensive data systems, and raising individual school performance.
On State Mandates
• While generally agreeing with GSCS’ call for a moratorium on implementing new initiatives until school funding is more stable, the Commissioner cited the High School initiative and the push for high quality preschool in the universal districts as important areas the DOE continues to move forward. The preschool focus will “help close the learning gap right from the start.” And in the High School redesign proposal the Commissioner called the Algebra II requirement for all students a “misnomer.” She instead called for a third year of math that would not be Algebra II in the true sense, but use Algebra II concepts.
On Regionalization and Consolidation
• Acknowledging that the Executive County Superintendents are moving ahead with ways to combine school districts, Commissioner Davy noted that they are expected to make recommendations to her by June 2010. Final recommendations would then be presented to the voters in the affected districts. She differentiated between regionalization and consolidation.
• Regionalization has its genesis in state statutes that pool community assets. Questions arise about assumption of existing debt service and which salary guides will be used. And since the wealthier community ends up paying more to get the same services, voters usually turn down the proposal.
• The Commissioner sees consolidation as more of a shared services situation in which K-8 districts in a sending – receiving arrangement with a high school consolidate administrative services, with the larger high school district being the lead agency. Besides being more cost effective, she sees this arrangement as benefiting the smaller districts by providing services they can’t afford alone and providing articulation of courses among the districts as they prepare students for high school.
• “The days of competing with our neighbors are done,” she said. “We are competing in a global economy with people around the world.”
And a Closing Thought
• Commissioner Davy reminded us that these are unusual times with many worthy causes competing for very limited state resources. Education has come this far in the state budget process for next year relatively untouched. It would be beneficial to maintain a dialogue with the Legislature to ensure that the funds earmarked by the Governor for education remain with that designation.
