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6-22-10 Budget , Cap Proposals & Education News - njspotlight.com
Christie and Democrats Reach Budget Accord; Tax Caps Next The budget battle almost over, Gov. Christie and Democratic legislators Square Off Over Property Tax Cap: 2.5 vs. 2.9


'Education Commissioner Redraws the Org Chart, Puts Top Staff'


'Christie and Democrats Reach Budget Accord;Tax Caps Next'

The budget battle almost over, Gov. Christie and Democratic legislators Square Off Over Property Tax Cap: 2.5 vs. 2.9

 

By John Mooney, June 22 in Education

On the same day that Gov. Chris Christie and the Democratic leadership reached agreement on a new state budget for 2010, it was no accident that both sides were drawing the line in the next point of debate: how to cap local property taxes.

In the morning, it was Christie standing in Newark’s South Ward with Mayor Cory Booker to tout the Republican governor’s proposed Constitutional amendment to limit local property taxes to no more than 2.5 percent increases each year.

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Booker’s support for Christie’s “Cap 2.5” proposal is notable, since he has been named as potential Democratic challenger to Christie in three years. But he said yesterday that the need to control property taxes and especially public employee costs was not a partisan issue.

“This is an issue that is bigger than any individual or party,” Booker said. “This is an issue affecting every citizen in our state, in all 21 counties, and particularly felt here in the city of Newark.”

Proposing a Higher Cap

But in the afternoon, Democratic legislative leaders had their own ideas. In his Statehouse office, state Senate President Stephen Sweeney (D-Gloucester) held an impromptu press conference of his own to detail a competing proposal to cap taxes at a higher rate of 2.9 percent.

His proposal is far more flexible that Christie’s, allowing for a host of exclusions and exemptions for items such as health insurance and energy costs. Christie’s cap would only exclude debt service, and could be exceeded with approval of a super-majority of voters.

Sweeney’s cap would impose the cap by statute, not Constitutional amendment, which requires three-fifths vote of the Legislature and then a ballot referendum.

“In two years, we have reduced tax increases from 7 percent down to 3.3 percent,” Sweeney said of Democratic-led limits. “Going to 2.9 is a very attainable goal, without going to the Constitution where if we make a mistake and can never correct the problem.”

Still, Sweeney said he would also be willing to hold legislative hearings on both plans, a prospect that would all but eliminate the chance that Christie’s amendment could make it onto this November’s ballot.

“I suspect there will be a [legislative] vote on his and a vote on mine, and we’ll see how it shakes out,” Sweeney said.

Budget Compromise Reached

The two announcements punctuated what was a busy day in Trenton behind the scenes as well, as the governor’s office and legislative leaders announced separately in the late afternoon that a compromise had been reached on the contentious 2010 state budget. A final vote is expected early next week, beating the June 30 deadline.

Christie’s proposed $29.3 billion spending plan for next year had drawn loud cries and criticism since it was presented in March, especially over its steep spending cuts in everything from public libraries to school aid.

As of yesterday afternoon, the reinstatement of the so-called “millionaires tax” was still under debate in both the Assembly and Senate chambers, and a coalition of school advocates was dropping off a petition of more than 5,200 names against the cuts.

But Sweeney in his press conference hinted an agreement was near, and by the time the administration officials detailed it at about 7 p.m., the legislators had by and large left the Statehouse and Christie’s spending plan by and large appeared intact.

“The governor’s objectives were to close the $12 billion shortfall, and to do without raising taxes and keeping appropriations about $29.3 billion,” said Richard Bagger, Christie’s chief of staff. “The [budget] legislation being submitted is completely consistent with that framework.”

Christie did reinstate about $74 million in various programs and accounts, less than 1 percent of the overall budget. The vast bulk of the changes were in welfare and disabilities assistance, including reinstatement of $6.4 million to the Hagedorn Psychiatric Hospital, saving about 200-300 jobs, administration officials said.

In education, $3 million was restored from a $10 million cut in after-school programs, $1 million in the New Jersey STARS scholarships for community colleges and $1.3 million in the Education Opportunity Fund.

Sweeney and Assembly Speaker Sheila Oliver (D-Essex) issued a joint press release.

“The improvements we’ve made make this budget plan the best it can possibly be amid this difficult economy,” Oliver said in the release. “No one is excited about what this budget does, but it at least has taken several steps toward protecting working class New Jerseyans. I appreciate the willingness of all sides, including Gov. Christie, to make the changes needed to improve this budget.”

'Education Commissioner Redraws the Org Chart, Puts Top Staff In Place'

Schundler names Andrew Smarick to No. 2 Spot, big believer in school choice and fellow at conservative think tank

By John Mooney, June 21 in Education

Bret Schundler’s top staff at the state Department of Education is shaping up into a mix of old and new, keeping in place several department veterans but also bringing in a roster of newcomers especially from the state’s school choice movement.

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The commissioner's most important appointment has yet to arrive. Schundler has named Andrew Smarick, a well-known fellow with the conservative Thomas B. Fordham Institute, to be his deputy commissioner, the No. 2 position in the department. He starts August 2.

Much of the speculation in Trenton is around the policies and politics that will come with Smarick, a big school choice advocate and vocal critic of urban school turnaround efforts.

Few doubt Smarick will seek to shake up the school establishment, and while he wouldn't comment last week, he has indicated his own interests in bringing changes specifically to Newark, a state-operated district at its own crossroads.

"I’m especially excited to get to lend a hand to the effort to improve Newark’s schools," Smarick wrote in Fordham’s blog, where he announced his new job.

"The city has a set of superb charter organizations, a remarkably strong nonprofit support infrastructure, and a hard-charging mayor."

A former deputy assistant secretary in the U.S. education department and founder of an Annapolis, Md., charter school, Smarick is a big hit with certain reform groups in New Jersey.

"Andy Smarick's joining is a huge win for our state," said Kathleen Nugent, of Democrats for Education Reform—New Jersey. "As one of the foremost thinkers and strategists on education reform, he will prioritize initiatives that promise the greatest impact and steer a strong course for New Jersey education."

'Gets Things Done'

His former boss, Chester Finn Jr., president of Fordham Institute,said New Jersey should expect Smarick to make a mark on policy. And he said Smarick, whose salary will be $129,0000, also will provide Schundler key organizational and management skills.

"He gets things done when he says he will," Finn said. "And that’s especially critical in government."

"But he’ll also do so a quiet, self-effacing kind of way. He will not hesitate to shake the tree, but he’ll do it with a smile."

The people already in place in the department are an intriguing combination as well, reflecting the needs of a department that is clearly in some flux. Any change of administration brings change, but Schundler’s first five months have been especially tumultuous.

High-Profile Disagreements

The state’s financial condition has led to deep staffing cuts in the department, and there have been some high-profile disagreements between Schundler and the man who matters most, Gov. Chris Christie. Some critics have called for legislative hearings and an “overhaul” of the department already, even before Schundler has put all his people in place.

Schundler last week refused to comment on any of his personnel picks. But it looks like he has vied for at least some stability in key places. He has retained three assistant commissioners from the last administration: Rochelle Hendricks, Barbara Gantwerk and Willa Spicer. Spicer was most recently deputy commissioner, but will be moved down to assistant commissioner in charge of standard and assessment, her areas of expertise. One notable departure under her is that of Timothy Peters, the state’s testing director, whose exit was announced last week.

Hendricks re-appointment is an important choice, too. She has headed the state’s charter school programs for several years, and now is being kept on as assistant commissioner in charge of the Division of School Effectiveness and Choice, a likely hotbed of Schundler’s reform proposals.

But no doubt, big changes are coming, too. On Wednesday, Schundler presented the state Board of Education a new organization chart for the department that laid out where much of his focus will be.

There’s a new office for “professional compensation and contract standards,” for instance, pointing to upcoming proposals for new controls on teacher and administrator pay. Another office will focus on district consolidations.

Meanwhile, there will also be an office for "small learning communities and school culture," and one that would oversee the Opportunity Scholarship Act, the controversial school voucher bill still pending in the Legislature.

Notable Names in Place

Already in place for some of those jobs are notable names from the state’s school choice movement. Valarie Smith, a former regional director in the U.S. Department of Education, will head the OSA division. Eric Taylor, a prominent South Jersey lawyer who has battled Camden City schools, will head the division of code and regulatory review. Both have worked with Excellent Education for Everybody (E3), the state’s most prominent school voucher organization.

In addition, a new research position is held by Jessani Gordon, the former head of the state’s charter school association, and the department’s chief legislative liaison is Chris Emigholz, formerly with the state’s business and industry association. Norris Clark, a Cape May County Republican and former Assembly candidate, leads a new parental information office.

These appointments so far are scarce in names from New Jersey’s familiar public education circles, such as district superintendents or lobbyists from the main associations. But few are much surprised by that, given Christie’s and Schundler’s clear agendas so far.

“They want to go outside the box and bring in people who support a more private sector approach,” said Michael Vrancik, chief lobbyist for the state’s school boards association. “This is part of the new normal, and everyone needs to adjust to it.”

Still, some key jobs are still not filled, including the assistant commissioner for finance, assistant commissioner for a new division of "professional excellence," focusing on teacher and administrator standards and quality, and also Schundler’s chief of staff.