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My name is Toni Hopkins and I am a public school parent from
Now
Highly respected by both major parties, key education groups and the press, the representatives of the GSCS have been asked to testify before the legislative committees now meeting in
Several fundamental requirements should be a part of any new legislation developed:
- Citizens of a district must have a reasonable financial stake in their children’s education. Any legislation should be sensitive to not only the community’s ‘local fair share’ but also to individual residents’ income capacity as well.
- No district should fund schools less than 15% or more than 85% through property tax. At present districts like
- The formula used to determine state aid should be reworked to reflect the fiscal realities within various districts. At present 45% (a national extreme)of the districts in
- The School Construction Act should continue to be funded through a grant system as this has proven to be the only true property tax relief in recent history. Because
- Special Education and Regular Education need to be clearly defined so that the costs associated with them can be categorized appropriately.
Parents are an important key to the success of this coalition of parents, board members and superintendent and the primary advocacy message for which it stands: quality education for all public school students in
I urge you to be proactive and let legislators, the Governor, and newspapers – both local and statewide – hear your concerns. Now is the time. Parents’ voices are the critical key to maintaining quality public education in our state. If you would like to learn more, please visit the Garden State Coalition of Schools web site at www.gscshools.org .
GARDEN STATE COALITION OF SCHOOLS/GSCS
Phone 609 394 2828 Fax609 396 7620
Dr. Marjorie Heller, President Lynne Strickland, Executive Director
October 2, 2006
Dear Parents:
Right now the Governor and legislature are in the midst of a landmark process aimed at reducing the state’s high property taxes. The potential effects of this process are far-reaching, with consequences for your schools and your town. As some of you are aware, S-1701 was passed when school was not in session and those opposed were not given the opportunity to voice their concerns. As the result property taxes rose statewide and school budgets were defeated in record numbers, resulting in hardships in many
The following is a brief summary of the process along with contact information for the policy makers involved. At this very critical time, it is imperative for parents to be informed, involved and ready to take action to protect quality education and promote equity in school funding.
Background
On July 28, Governor Corzine called a Special Session of the Legislature specifically to address the property tax crisis. As part of the Special Session, the Governor and legislative leadership appointed four bi-partisan joint legislative committees to study various aspects of and remedies for the problem. The four committees are: Public School Funding Reform, Government Consolidation and Shared Services, Public Employee Benefits Reform and Constitutional Reform and Citizens’ Property Tax Convention. Each committee began meeting and hearing testimony in August. They are charged with submitting recommendations by November 15, which Governor Corzine wants to have enacted into law by the end of 2006. It is not clear yet whether the committees and the Legislature will be able to abide by this timetable. If the Special Legislative Session does not produce real results, the Governor has already state that he will order a citizens’ constitutional convention to effect property tax reform. Experts agree that substantive change would probably not occur before 2009.
The Committees
School Funding: Senator John Adler (Co-Chair), Assemblyman Herb Conaway, Jr. (Co-Chair), Senator Gerald Cardinale, Senator Joseph V. Doria, Jr., Assemblyman Brian P. Stack and Assemblyman David W. Wolfe. The committee is charged with:
· Reviewing and formulating proposals for school funding, including those that:
o provide State support based on student needs rather than geographic location
o eliminate disincentives to the regionalization of school districts; control school district spending, particularly administrative spending
o dramatically tighten the current law limiting increases in school district spending.
The committee has heard testimony from a variety of experts and representatives of stakeholder groups. (To see first-round GSCS testimony from September 5, 2006, go to www.gscschools.org, go to left-hand sidebar and click on “Property Taxes, Special Session, and School Funding.”) As yet there is no consensus on what the new funding formula will look like.
Consolidation and Shared Services: Senator Bob Smith (Co-Chair),
Assemblyman John S. Wisniewski (Co-Chair), Assemblyman Robert M. Gordon, Senator Ellen Karcher, Senator Joseph M. Kyrillos Jr , and Assemblyman Joseph R. Malone III.
The committee will review and formulate proposals that address the sharing of services and regionalization of functions at all levels of government. The committee will also:
· base its discussions on the CORE agenda proposed by the Speaker of the General Assembly.
· consider proposals to consolidate or eliminate State agency functions and State agencies or commissions.
The Committee has heard testimony from a number of different experts from inside and outside
Public Employee Benefits Reform: Senator Nicholas P. Scutari (Co-Chair), Assemblywoman Nellie Pou (Co-Chair), Assemblyman Thomas P. Giblin, Senator William L. Gormley, Assemblyman Kevin J. O'Toole, Senator Ronald L. Rice
The committee will:
- review and formulate proposals that address abuses of the system of benefits provided to public employees
- control the costs to the State and its political subdivisions for public employee retirement, health care and other benefits
- use as the basis of its discussions the recommendations of the Benefits Review Task Force contained in its December 1, 2005 report, as well as other relevant reports.
This committee has also heard a great deal of testimony from public employee unions and other stakeholders. (To see first-round GSCS testimony from September 20, 2006, go to www.gscschools.org, go to left-hand sidebar and click on “Property Taxes, Special Session, and School Funding.”)
Constitutional Reform and Citizen’s Property Tax Convention: Senator Bernard F. Kenny Jr.(Co-Chair), Assemblyman John J. Burzichelli (Co-Chair), Senator Leonard Lance, Senator Fred H. Madden Jr., Assemblyman Louis M. Manzo and
Assemblyman Richard A. Merkt . This committee will:
- review and formulate proposals that address property tax reform through amendments to the Constitution of the State of
- determine whether amendments to the State Constitution should be recommended to the Legislature for submission directly to the voters or whether such amendments should be referred to a citizen’ property tax constitutional convention.
GSCS Positions – see attached ‘GSCS Key Message Points’
The GSCS supports creating a new, more equitable funding formula for all
What Parents Can Do
When the committees’ recommendations come out, we may have to mobilize quickly to block ill-conceived legislation. From now until the committees formulate their recommendations in November, you should:
- Stay informed. You can access more information about the Special Legislative Session, including videos or transcripts of the various committee hearings, by going to the Legislature’s website, www.njleg.state.nj.us/, and following the prompt for the Special Legislative Session.
- Visit the GSCS homepage, www.gscschools.org regularly. Click the box on the right side of the homepage to sign up for the GSCS Parent Network. Network members receive regular e-mail updates on the work of the Joint Legislative Committees as well as other important news from
- Talk to your legislators. Make your local legislators and the legislative leadership aware of your concerns. To find your legislators go to the Legislature’s website, www.njleg.state.nj.us/ . On the left side of the page, under “Members”, click on “Find Your Legislator”. By following the prompts and entering the name of your municipality, you can find your Senator and Assemblymen with contact information for each one. You can also contact any member of the four Joint Committees by clicking on “Find Your Legislator”, then following the prompts to the alphabetical list of legislators.
We hope that you will join us in the fight to create positive change in
GARDEN STATE COALITION OF SCHOOLS/GSCS on School Funding, 10-06
GSCS KEY MESSAGE POINTS
ANY NEW SCHOOL FUNDING AND GOVERNANCE LAWS SHOULD REFLECT GSCS’ OVERRIDING CONCERNS THAT:
- QUALITY EDUCATION SHOULD NOT BE LEFT OUT OF THE DEBATE - EFFICIENCY IS ONLY ONE SIDE OF THE EQUATION. To date, legislative discussion has overwhelmingly focused on cost efficiencies. Effectiveness – performance and quality education – must be an integral part of the debate.
- OUR SCHOOLS ARE NOT LEVELED DOWN. Vigilance is needed to see that the need to contain costs does not result in legislation that lowers the standard of education for all of our children.
- CITIZENS OF A DISTRICT HAVE A REASONABLE FINANCIAL STAKE IN THEIR CHILDREN’S EDUCATION. No district should fund schools less than 15% or more than 85% through property tax
- A TOWN’S ABILITY TO SUPPORT ITS LOCAL SCHOOL BUDGET IS BASED ON A FORMULA FAIR TO ALL DISTRICTS. The formula used to determine state aid should be reworked to reflect the fiscal realities within various districts. At present 45% (a national extreme) of the districts in
- STUDENTS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS AND DISABILITIES RECEIVE STATE SUPPORT AID NO MATTER WHERE THEY LIVE. For example, special education and transportation must not be equalized. Many districts would receive no aid if those categorical programs were funded based on district wealth, rather than on the individual student’s needs (e.g.45% of the regular operating districts would not receive categorical aid for special education).
- A CITIZEN’S ABILITY TO SUPPORT HIS/HER LOCAL SCHOOL BUDGET IS CONSIDERED. Any legislation should be sensitive to not only the community’s ‘local fair share’ but also to individual residents’ ability to pay.
- THE RESEARCH IS FULLY DONE PRIOR DESIGNING LAW. Analyze impacts as related to
What happens in
ATTENTION GSCS MEMBERS/PARENTS: WE NEED YOUR HELP
We need to have a large group on hand in Trenton to make a visual statement of support for GSCS’ November 1 Press Conference -noted below- that will address school funding and governance issues under deliberation in Trenton in its Special Session on Property Taxes. As you know, the legislature and the Governor are set to recommend significant change to our system of public education. Our concerns need to be heard and our voices must resonate throughout the state. Please let us know how many from your district plan to join with GSCS in
Quality Education and Property Tax Reduction—
We Can Have Both
Wednesday, November 1, 2006
11 AM
The Statehouse,
Room 319 The Statehouse
The
To confirm your attendance and obtain directions to the Statehouse and the meeting room, RSVP to cyndywu@gmail.com. Space is limited, so make your plans now.
The
Public Support for Public Education
