| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Garden State Coalition of Schools Parent Network Committee
Dr. Walter Mahler, President, GSCS Lynne Strickland, Executive Director, GSCS
Candace Mueller, coordinator, GSPN Committee
210 West State Street Trenton, NJ 08608 // 609-394-2828
www.gscschools.org gscs@ebnet.org
The Garden State Coalition of Schools’ Parent Network represents those who care for and have concern for approximately 300,000 school children in the 120 member districts of the Garden State Coalition of Schools. However, our advocacy work for quality public education is concerned about ALL of New Jersey’s school children.
All GSCS member districts are encouraged to inform and involve concerned parents in the activities of GSCS. Through the superintendent and board members, parents are introduced to the GSCS, and are recommended to GSCS as parent-leaders who want to participate and stay informed of the Parent Network Committee activities. In 2003, communications through an e-mail broadcast list became the means for sharing information. Attendance at GSCS’ annual meeting, monthly board meetings, special regional or local meetings initiated by member districts, as well as statewide Summits (one was held in February 2003 at East Brunswick and another in February 2004 at Mount Laurel), are other means for being connected with the Parent Network.
Supporting the GSCS’ Advocacy for State Aid for FY ‘05
The Parent Network works in direct concert with the efforts of the Garden State Coalition of Schools on legislative issues that support public education. The Parent Network is targeting its support on the following GSCS’ requests.
-
We want the State Legislature to include in its budget proposal, full funding of the Special Education Extraordinary Aid law. And you know from last year’s experience, the GSCS Parent Network will work the halls and e-mails of the Legislature to support this line item in the budget. And, we support the Governor’s part of the budget proposal that allows the extraordinary special education aid be applied to the special education program by flowing the aid directly to schools, since any aid to special education offsets having to raise property taxes to support these mandated programs.
-
We support Senator Adler’s proposed legislation, S.1533, to enact the recommendations of the Mandate Relief Commission. GSCS was represented on the Commission. These legislative changes will provide significant relief to unfunded or underfunded state mandates.
-
We want to work for a solution to the property tax overburden for the financing of public education and a fairer and updated formula for providing stable funding for education. We believe the State Legislature should take a leadership role in this, and this can begin, by holding a Special Legislative Session on Property Tax reform and stable funding for education. The GSCS supports a special legislative session and so does the Parent Network. We urge the state legislators as leaders in the budget process to support this approach and encourage the leadership of the State Legislature to schedule a time—hopefully this summer-- when they will all sit down and reason together.
The Parent Network will assist, as good advocates should, by keeping other parents informed and involved in the discussions and decisions that are reached.
The Ewing Public School Board, of which I am President, is currently in the throes of having our failed school budget considered by our town council. While the message was clear that property tax increases ( even at five cents and a 1.1% increase in expenditures) are unacceptable to the majority of voters., voting against the school budget is not part of the solution. Addressing the limited revenue that is not property tax is moving in the right direction. Attached is Ewing’s Fact Sheet that shows that we have not been able to keep up with the rising costs of special education tuitions and in-house special education programs. We need to turn our attention to leadership in Trenton for adequate state funding. That is why we are a member district of the Garden State Coalition of Schools, to unite with other districts to gain more public support for public education.
Thank you.
Candace Mueller, coordinator of the GSCS Parent Network,
Garden State Coalition of Schools and Ewing School Board member.
GSPN Activities in 2004
Statewide Summit: On February 12, GSCS co-hosted with Mount Laurel Public Schools the Second Annual “Public Support for Public Education” Summit. Over 700 people attended, hearing from Department of Education Commissioner, William Librera, Assembly Budget Committee Chairman, Louis Greenwald, and Senate Minority Leader, Leonard Lance, as well as a panel of responders. Questions and comments were received from the audience. Parents as well as all in attendance were invited to keep the conversation in the forefront of our communities’ priorities. More GSPN contacts from member agencies were made at the Summit.
Online Survey: As a follow-up to the Summit, GSCS is sponsoring an on-line survey on school funding and property taxes on the GSCS website. All GSCS members, including GSPN parents as well as all New Jersey residents are encouraged to participate in the survey. Professionally designed and managed, the survey goes off the air after 60 days (April 11). GSCS will share the results of the survey on its website as well in its advocacy work in Trenton. Go to: www.gscschools.org to complete the survey.
Plans for 2nd annual Trek to Trenton: During the State Legislative deliberations on the ’05 State Budget in June, GSCS will again be inviting GSCS member districts and their parents to join in a day in Trenton to represent GSCS’ budget priorities to their legislators.
Communications with the GSPN: E-mail messages and access to the GSCS EMAILNET information service, will continue on an as-needed basis.
Development of a steering group to assist the GSPN Coordinator and GSCS executive director with parental involvement: Discussions will be taking place to consider ways to enhance communications and advocacy efforts with parents and within more GSCS member districts throughout the state.