Quality Public Education for All New Jersey Students

 

 
     Pre 2012 Announcement Archives
     2012-13 Announcement Archives
     2013-14 Announcement Archives
     2014-15 Announcement Archives
     Old Announcements prior April 2009
     ARCHIVE inc 2007 Announcements
     2009 Archives
     2008 Archives
     2007 Archives
     2006 Archives
     2010-11 Announcements
     2005 through Jan 30 2006 Announcements
2-24-11 State School Aid - In the News
Philadelphia Inquirer ‘N.J. school districts feared worse on budget’ ..."We're happy, but let's not lose sight of the big picture," district spokeswoman Susan Bastnagel said..."This is better today than it was yesterday. It's better they don't have to fire people," said Lynne Strickland, director of the Garden State Coalition of Schools, which represents about 100 school districts. However, she said, "this is no-frills still." Between a new 2 percent cap on property-tax increases and rising costs, districts are "still between a rock and hard place..."

njspotlight.com ‘Fine Print: School Aid’

Star Ledger ‘N.J. to restore a fifth of slashed state aid for schools under Gov. Christie's budget’

Trenton Times ‘N.J. school aid to Mercer County districtsincreases $9.7M in Gov. Christie's budget’

The Record ‘State aid to N.J. schools to increase 1 percent of district budgets’

The Record ‘State aid to N.J. schools to increase 1 percent of district budgets’

Philadelphia Inquirer ‘N.J. school districts feared worse on budget’

By Rita Giordano

INQUIRER STAFF WRITER

The Christie administration released proposed school-aid figures Wednesday that would give every district in the state an increase.

The districts, however, are still below aid levels that existed before the current school year. Last year, districts' formula aid was cut by amounts equivalent to about 5 percent of their total operating budgets.

The nearly $219 million in education aid proposed Tuesday by Gov. Christie would give districts at least as much formula aid as they got this year, as well as an increase equal to 1 percent of their 2010 operating budgets, according to a memo from the state to district officials.

Aid to charter schools, the interdistrict choice program, and extraordinary special education also is proposed to increase.

Many districts were expecting further aid cuts, so the figures were cause for some relief.

"This appears to be good news for the school district and for the taxpayers of Cherry Hill," Superintendent David Campbell said.

Under Christie's proposal, the Cherry Hill schools would get $9,655,320 - $1.7 million more than in the current year.

"We're happy, but let's not lose sight of the big picture," district spokeswoman Susan Bastnagel said. The district, she said, is still down several million dollars in aid from the year before. To handle last year's aid cut, about 100 positions were eliminated, and programs were cut.

"This is better today than it was yesterday. It's better they don't have to fire people," said Lynne Strickland, director of the Garden State Coalition of Schools, which represents about 100 school districts.

However, she said, "this is no-frills still." Between a new 2 percent cap on property-tax increases and rising costs, some districts are "still between a rock and hard place."

"It's still going to be a tough budget year," said Frank Belluscio, spokesman for the New Jersey School Boards Association. "You're dealing with a hard case we've never had before."

Observers speculate that district officials will strive to hold down spending so their budgets will be more likely to get voters' approval and they will not risk additional budget cuts.

The districts have to file itemized preliminary budgets with their executive county superintendents by March 4. The budgets will go to voters April 27.


Contact staff writer Rita Giordano at 856-779-3841 or rgiordano@phillynews.com.

 

http://www.state.nj.us/education/stateaid/1112/district.pdf

 

njspotlight.com ‘Fine Print: School Aid’

The governor gives something back to almost every school district in the Garden State

By John Mooney, February 24 in Education |Post a Comment

Summary: The Christie administration yesterday released the details of how school aid will be distributed to individual districts under his proposed $29.4 billion state budget announced the day before. Gov. Chris Christie announced that the budget calls for an increase of nearly $250 million in aid to schools, distributed to every district in the state, a small rebound from the nearly $1 billion cut last year.

Related Links

The message in the numbers: "The basic message is that last year, the schools gave tremendously, and the governor in this budget has given disproportionately back to them," said Chris Cerf, acting education commissioner.

Wide range: By and large, districts will receive an increase that is equivalent to 1 percent of their overall 2010 budgets, as Christie said in his budget address on Tuesday. But how that ends up varies widely by district, with urban districts getting the larger dollar amounts but suburban districts getting by far the bigger percentage increases. More than 200 districts won at least double-digit percentage increases.

Examples: Newark is seeing a 1 percent increase from last year’s aid total, but that amounts to $8.5 million, the largest increase in the state. But among dozens of districts losing virtually all of their aid last year, Paramus tops the percentage list in seeing a nearly 100-fold jump -- from $7,800 to $710,000.

The biggest winner: Edison, the state’s fifth largest district, is getting both a big dollar amount and a big percentage increase. Its aid will go up about 25 percent, or $1.95 million. Nevertheless, that comes after the district lost nearly $10 million last year.

The exception: Not every district saw an increase, after all. The one-school Washington Township in Burlington County was the sole district not to see its state aid rise. A spokesman for the state education department said it was an unusual case due to the school losing two children who had been part of the state’s inter-district choice program, and in turn the $22,000 in extra aid that follows them.

 

Star Ledger ‘N.J. to restore a fifth of slashed state aid for schools under Gov. Christie's budget’

Published: Thursday, February 24, 2011, 6:00 AM     Updated: Thursday, February 24, 2011, 7:21 AM

By Statehouse Bureau Staff

TRENTON — The state would restore, on average, a fifth of slashed state aid for school districts under Gov. Chris Christie’s budget proposal, while towns would receive the exact amount of state aid as last year, according to data released Wednesday.

Most school districts would receive about 20 percent of the aid that was cut last year. But the numbers range from districts like Red Bank, which would get back 93 percent of its cut aid, to districts such as New Brunswick, which would be awarded about 17 percent. One district, Washington Township in Burlington County, would get no increase.

In total, Christie plans to restore $250 million in school funding, after cutting about $820 million last year.

"Last year, our state faced severe fiscal challenges, and we had to make some very difficult choices. Reductions to education funding were among the most agonizing of those choices," Christie said. "Because of the foundation we set ... New Jersey is on firmer footing and we are able to put more funding into classrooms throughout New Jersey."

Suburban districts that lost most or all of their state aid got the highest percentage increases, but the aid still lags from two years ago.

"Last year, Governor Christie’s budget decimated New Jersey’s suburban school districts. This year he continues this policy," said Sen. Nia Gill (D-Essex). "For a second year, the state’s middle-class families and suburban school districts bear the brunt of the governor’s budget."

Towns, meanwhile, would receive the same amount of state funding, as Christie promised in his budget address Tuesday. Newark would get the most state aid, at about $91 million, followed by Jersey City, $64 million; Camden $47 million; Trenton $44 million; and Paterson $33 million .

The $1.3 billion awarded does not include $149 million in transitional aid for struggling municipalities, to be allocated later.

Bill Dressel, executive director of the New Jersey League of Municipalities, said he is relieved there were no cuts for towns, but called on state lawmakers to reform health benefit and pension costs that are burdening municipalities.

By Megan DeMarco and Ginger Gibson/Statehouse Bureau staff


To view school aid, visit: http://www.state.nj.us/education/stateaid/1112/

To view town aid, visit: http://www.nj.gov/dca/lgs/muniaid/aidmenu.shtml

 

Trenton Times ‘N.J. school aid to Mercer County districts increases $9.7M in Gov. Christie's budget’

Published: Thursday, February 24, 2011, 7:04 AM     Updated: Thursday, February 24, 2011, 7:14 AM

By Carmen Cusido/The Times

MERCER COUNTY -- Mercer County public schools will see a $9.7 million increase in state aid in the proposed 2011-2012 state budget.

"It’s better than flat aid or another reduction like last year, but it’s really way to early to be able to assess what it means for our budget," said Alice Weisman, president of the East Windsor Regional School District. The district will receive $16.4 million, up $780,721 from the current year.

The state would restore, on average, a fifth of slashed state aid for school districts under Gov. Chris Christie’s budget proposal, while towns would receive the exact amount of state aid as last year, according to data released Wednesday.

Most school districts would receive about 20 percent of the aid that was cut last year. But the numbers range from districts like Red Bank, which would get back 93 percent of its cut aid, to districts such as New Brunswick, which would be awarded about 17 percent. One district, Washington Township in Burlington County, would get no increase.

In total, Christie plans to restore $250 million in school funding, after cutting about $820 million last year.

"Last year, our state faced severe fiscal challenges, and we had to make some very difficult choices. Reductions to education funding were among the most agonizing of those choices," Christie said. "Because of the foundation we set ... New Jersey is on firmer footing and we are able to put more funding into classrooms throughout New Jersey."

Suburban districts that lost most or all of their state aid got the highest percentage increases, but the aid still lags from two years ago.

"Last year, Governor Christie’s budget decimated New Jersey’s suburban school districts. This year he continues this policy," said Sen. Nia Gill (D-Essex). "For a second year, the state’s middle-class families and suburban school districts bear the brunt of the governor’s budget."

Christie vowed to keep state payments to municipalities at the levels in his budget the previous year.

Trenton would receive $44 million, which includes $20.3 million in property tax relief and $23.8 million for its share of the state’s tax on sales of natural gas and electricity. The city would also receive $705 in watershed aid, according to documents available on the Department of Community Affairs’ website.

These monies are separate from the transitional aid awards that began last year. The city was awarded $27.1 million in November, which helped to pare down a nearly $56 million budget deficit projected for this year.

Christie’s administration began transitional aid awards last year after abolishing direct aid to distressed cities and municipalities. Towns submit applications for a portion of a set amount of money, and Community Affairs reviews the submissions and makes the award. Christie’s office says the pool of transitional aid money will decrease by 10 percent in the new budget as part of the effort to wean towns off direct infusions of state money.

Aid figures released by the DOE show public charter schools will receive $4.6 million in additional funds — an increase of over 50 percent.

The Lawrence public school district will see an increase of $672,646. "I think it’s wonderful, it’s much better than being cut again," said Leon Kaplan, vice president of the Lawrence school board.

The school district has scheduled a special public meeting tonight at 6 p.m. at the high school library in anticipation of the governor’s announcement.

The administration prepared for scenarios for different outcomes, including flat state aid, a loss in state aid and a bigger loss in state aid, Kaplan said.

Hopewell Valley Regional School District officials also are looking forward to an aid increase of nearly $700,000. "Every little bit helps," said Superintendent Thomas Smith, "it would allow us to put back what we thought we would have had to eliminate," Smith said the district, which has 375 teachers, might still need to reduce some staff because the budget is likely to exceed the 2 percent cap on spending increases.

To view school aid, visit the state Department of Education website.

To view town aid, visit the state Department of Community Affairs website.

Star-Ledger writers Megan DeMarco and Ginger Gibson and Times staff writer Alex Zdan contributed to this story.

 

 

The Record ‘State aid to N.J. schools to increase 1 percent of district budgets’

Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Last updated: Wednesday February 23, 2011, 9:27 PM

BY LESLIE BRODY

The Record

STAFF WRITER

North Jersey school officials reacted with relief, skepticism and concern Wednesday after the state released figures showing districts will get a boost in state aid next year equal to 1 percent of their 2010 budgets.

Many superintendents had braced for another round of deep cuts after last year’s reductions and said they were glad to get more help, especially considering the rising costs of fuel, special education and health benefits. But several warned of tough choices ahead as they try to squeeze spending under the new 2 percent cap on tax increases.

Overall, Bergen county schools will get $22 million more in school aid than in the current year, and Passaic will get an additional $13 million.

“We’re thankful,” said Lynn Trager, the superintendent in Tenafly, which eliminated 60 positions after last year’s aid cuts. “We’re just happy we didn’t get a decrease. We had a tremendous decrease last year, and we’re hoping we can maintain our programs.”

Governor Christie announced his proposed $29.4 billion budget for fiscal 2012 on Tuesday, with a $249 million increase for school aid — including more money for special-needs students, charter schools and “choice” programs that let children attend participating schools outside their districts. His plan drew immediate criticism from some Democratic lawmakers who charged the aid allocation still fell woefully short of the amounts required under the state’s 2008 school funding formula.

Last year’s school-aid cuts — worth 5 percent of districts’ budgets — face a legal challenge in the state Supreme Court, with some education advocates arguing they violated the state’s obligation to fully fund its aid formula. The governor countered that the cuts were distributed fairly and were necessary due to the fiscal crisis.

David Sciarra, an Education Law Center attorney who is arguing before the state Supreme Court that last year’s cuts infringed on students’ rights to thorough educations, said the governor’s aid increase for fiscal 2012 was “very minor.” He said districts would feel a cumulative amount of pain after another year of the state shortchanging the funding formula, and that the governor’s budget fell about $2 billion short of aid required by law.

“The districts hurt the most are the middle-class districts with growing numbers of poor kids,” Sciarra said, citing Clifton as an example. “This minimal increase isn’t going to come close to allowing them to maintain programs they have now that are largely inadequate.”

The Christie administration, however, said the boost in aid was proof of its commitment to education at a time when most state departments were being trimmed further. “I am especially pleased the school system in Newark got $8.5 million more than last year [and] Paterson will have an additional $4.5 million,” said acting Education Commissioner Christopher Cerf, adding that there were no cuts to urban preschools.

The governor proposed eliminating state support for New Jersey After 3, an after-school program that serves 5,000 children, including some in Englewood, Passaic, Clifton and Paterson. Last year’s budget also projected no funding for the non-profit organization, which ultimately got $3 million for the current year after a flurry of bipartisan lobbying. New Jersey After 3 also raised $4.5 million in donations, grants and contracts.

“After-school programs used to be nice but now are necessary for working families,” said the organization’s president, Mark Valli. “We’re optimistic they’ll restore funding again.”

The state distributed a spreadsheet showing aid allocations per district, with much of it placed in a column marked for special education, but several officials said the money was not restricted to that purpose.

Some school officials said they appreciated the aid boost. In Lyndhurst, which will get about $319,000 more than the current year’s roughly $1 million, board member James Hooper said: “It’s moving in the right direction.”

“We still have to make some hard decisions,” he said. “While I would have liked to have received the [$2.6 million] we received two years ago, it’s more than we received last year.”

Geoffrey Zoeller, superintendent of the Westwood Regional School District, said the governor’s move to restore about $455,000 of the roughly $2.3 million that was cut from the district state aid allocation last year was a “nice gesture” but was not going to help much.

“I am pleased to see that he has restored a little of the funding that was taken away last year,” Zoeller said. “But in the scheme of things, it’s still a very tight budget because the state healthcare plan has gone up, insurance cost has gone up, energy, lighting, fuel costs have gone up. … It’s not going to have an enormous impact.”

“On the face of it, this is good news,” said Teaneck’s interim superintendent Barbara Pinsak, who said her preliminary budget discussions anticipated no increase in state aid. She noted, however, that her district still doesn’t know how much of its funding will be diverted to a new Hebrew-language charter school, which is opening in Englewood this fall for students from Englewood and Teaneck.

In Glen Rock, which will get $406,000 next year after getting no state aid this year, superintendent David Verducci was skeptical. The money “will be welcome,” he said. “I would have a lot of good uses for it, but I’d like to see what the strings are, whether it will be given with one hand and taken with the other.”

Staff Writers Joseph Ax, John A. Gavin and Denisa R. Superville contributed to this article. E-mail: brody@northjersey.com