Quality Public Education for All New Jersey Students

 

 
     Education Transformation Task Force Initial Report...45 recommendations for starters
     9-12-11 Governor's Press Notice & Fact Sheet re: Education Transformation Task Force Report
     4-5-11 Education Issues in the News
     Assembly Education Committee hearing Feb 2-10-11
     GSCS Board of Trustees endorsed ACTION LETTER to Trenton asking for caution on Charter School expansion
     GSCS testimony on Tenure Reform - Senate Education Committee 12-09-10
     On the GSCS Radar Screen: Recently proposed (early June '10) legislation S2043 brings back Last Best Offer (LBO) for school boards in negotiations
     On the GSCS RADAR SCREEN S2021 (June '10) sponsored by Senator Tom Kean
     4-19-10 Lt. Gov. Guadagno's RED TAPE REVIEW GRP - INITIAL REPORT
     4-19-10 GSCS MANDATE RELIEF SUGGESTIONS to GOV CHRISTIE'S RED TAPE REVIEW GRP (& to Legislators), first submitted by invitation December 2009
     3-11-10 'GOP vows tools to cut expenses, tighter caps'
     3-5-10 HomeTowne Video taping + interviews of GSCS Summit@Summit
     3-4-10 'NJ education chief Bret Schundler tells suburban schools to expect more cuts in aid'
     2-25-10 Gov. Christie's Red Tape Review Comm., chaired by Lt. Gov. Guadagno, to hold public hearings In March
     2-4-10 'Christie advisers call for tough new school rules'
     GSCS MANDATES SUBMISSION- CHRISTIE ED TRANS TEAM & RED TAPE GROUP
     12-15-09 GSCS is working with the Christie Transition Team
     GSCS Board of Trustees representatives to meet with Christie Red Tape Group
     1-23-09 Schools get an eduction in thrift
     COUNCIL ON LOCAL MANDATES 'ELIMINATES' DOE spec ed 'AGE SPAN' reg 7-26
     2-16-07 CORZINE signs mandate legislation - Star Ledger article
     August 2004 Radon decision in favor of schools
     Radon Decision in favor of schools calls radon legislation an unpaid mandate
     Recap on property tax issues and S1701 - GSCS has been requesting legislative help on school budget cost drivers for a number of years - here is one example from summer 2004
     GOV McGREEVEY - MANDATE RELIEF COMMISSION 2005
On the GSCS RADAR SCREEN S2021 (June '10) sponsored by Senator Tom Kean
GSCS endorses SENATE BILL, No. 2021 - "STATEMENT: Under the current school district monitoring system, the New Jersey Quality Single Accountability Continuum, (NJ QSAC), every school district must submit a report every three years on its progress in complying with all of the quality performance indicators. This bill would provide a waiver for certain high-performing districts from the requirements of NJ QSAC..."

SENATE, No. 2021 STATE OF NEW JERSEY 214th LEGISLATURE INTRODUCED JUNE 3, 2010 Sponsored by: Senator THOMAS H. KEAN, JR. District 21 (Essex, Morris, Somerset and Union) SYNOPSIS Permits a waiver for high-performing school districts from the State system for monitoring school districts. CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT As introduced. An Act concerning the New Jersey Quality Single Accountability Continuum and amending P.L.1975, c.212. Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey: 1. Section 11 of P.L.1975, c.212 (C.18A:7A-11) is amended to read as follows: 11. [Each] a. Except as provided in subsection b. of this section, each school district and county vocational school district shall make a report of its progress in complying with all of the quality performance indicators adopted pursuant to section 10 of P.L.1975, c.212 (C.18A:7A-10) every three years, pursuant to a schedule to be established by the commissioner. In the years intervening between the district's three-year review, whenever the commissioner determines that conditions exist in a district that significantly and negatively impact the educational program or operations of the district, the commissioner may direct that the department immediately conduct a comprehensive review of the district. Nothing in this section shall preclude the commissioner, in his discretion, from conducting a random review of a school district to assess the district's compliance with the quality performance indicators. The district reports shall be submitted to the commissioner on a date and in such form as prescribed by the commissioner, who shall make them the basis for an annual report to the Governor and the Legislature, describing the condition of education in New Jersey, the efforts of New Jersey schools in meeting the standards of a thorough and efficient education, the steps underway to correct deficiencies in school performance, and the progress of New Jersey schools in comparison to other state education systems in the United States. b. The report required every three years pursuant to subsection a. of this section shall be waived in the case of a school district or county vocational school district that meets the following two requirements in at least two of the intervening three years between scheduled reports: (1) the district has a State support ratio of less than 10%; and (2) 85% or greater of all the students in the district to whom a State assessment was administered have scored proficient or advanced proficient in both the language arts and mathematics subject areas of the State assessments. (cf: P.L.2007, c.16, s.3) 2. This act shall take effect immediately. STATEMENT Under the current school district monitoring system, the New Jersey Quality Single Accountability Continuum, (NJ QSAC), every school district must submit a report every three years on its progress in complying with all of the quality performance indicators. This bill would provide a waiver for certain high-performing districts from the requirements of NJ QSAC. The bill would permit the waiver if in at least two of the intervening three years between scheduled reports: --the district has a State support ratio of less than 10%; and --85% or greater of all the students in the district to whom a State assessment was administered have scored at or above proficient or advanced proficient in both the language arts and mathematics subject areas of the State assessments. A score of “proficient” or “advanced proficient” indicates that a student has a solid understanding of the content measured by the State assessment. By permitting certain high-performing school districts a waiver from the requirement of NJ QSAC, this bill is intended to provide State regulators the opportunity to focus resources on helping lower performing school districts raise their performance level.