| ||||||||||||
GARDEN STATE COALITION OF SCHOOLS/GSCS
2009-2010 GSCS Meeting Schedule
On Our Radar Screen
News from Trenton…in the media…from the Statehouse….School data & information releases
GSCS EMAILNET 9-14-09
‘Welcome2009-2010’
GSCS Quick Facts:
PLEASE NOTE - GSCS HAS MOVED ITS HEADQUARTERS - As of July 1, 2009 GSCS moved two doors down to #204 West State Street, Trenton, New Jersey 08608.
Please update your address file for Garden State Coalition of Schools/GSCS...the phone number will remain the same, 609 394 2828; The GSCS cell phone number is 732 618 5755.
Coming Events
Sept. 30: GSCS Trustee Board Meeting, Wednesday 3:30 p.m., Forsgate Country Club, Inverness Room. Note the location change. Members are welcome to Board meetings. Please RSVP your attendance plans to gscs2000@gmail.com, thank you.
Oct. 28: GSCS General Membership Meeting, NJSBA Fall Workshop/Atlantic City; time & location TBA.
Dear GSCS Members
In a few weeks, we plan to introduce you to the new and improved Garden State Coalition of Schools email network. GSCS is entering the 2009-2010 school year with a new look for our e-mail communications, one that we hope will be easier and faster to read. With our new look, you'll be able to recognize our messages quickly and get the most up-to-date news from Trenton and around New Jersey. And we'll be able to update and customize our mailing lists. The first volume - the GSCS Trustee Dispatch - was sent out to the GSCS Board of Directors last Friday. We anticipate that by the end of September all GSCS email news communications will have this new consistent look, including these informative EMAILNET newsletters.
As the campaign season hits high gear this fall, GSCS members will be in a position not only to be on top of the situation and issues as they may develop, but also to communicate to Trenton more effectively than ever.
And, as always, we welcome your input… Please let us know any thoughts, suggestions you may have to improve our communications by e-mailing us at gscs2000@gmail.com .
Thanks! Lynne Strickland, GSCS Executive Director
On Our Radar Screen
GSCS opposes the following legislation: A-1489, A-4140 and A-4142
A-1489 prohibits boards of education from charging students a fee to participate in extracurricular activities
A-4140 concerns collective bargaining agreements and subcontracting
A-4142 concerns certain disciplinary procedures, collective bargaining, and binding arbitration in public employment
GSCS is closely watching these three bills this fall. (See GSCS website homepage, starting with late June 2009 entries for full information on these bills.) The bills emerged in the Assembly Education Committee at the end of June. Public notice of the hearing and details of the bill were not available for appropriate review and analysis, but the bills were voted out of the committee that day. There is concern that the bills could surface prior to the November elections or during the lame duck session after the elections. As of this writing, there are no scheduled legislative sessions until after the election. But stay tuned....
2009-2010 GSCS meeting schedule is:
Sept. 30, 3:30 p.m., Forsgate Country Club
Oct. 28, NJSBA Workshop, Atlantic City, time & room TBA
Dec. 2, 3:30 p.m., East Brunswick BOE Conference Room
Jan. 27, 3:30 p.m., East Brunswick
Feb. 24, GSCS Statewide Meeting, location & time TBA
Mar. 31, 3:30 p.m., location TBA
Apr. 21, 3:30 p.m., East Brunswick
May 26 or 27, 8:30 a.m. Annual Breakfast Meeting, Highlands Ballroom, Forsgate Country Club
News from Trenton…in the media…from the Statehouse….School data & information releases On the GSCS Homepage @ www.gscschools.org :
GSCS Report on its Annual Meeting June 2009
In addition to GSCS business, the minutes of the 18th Annual Meeting report on the presentation by Governor Jon Corzine, as well as an in-depth panel discussion, and the speakers response to GSCS member questions from the audience. Panel members included Assembly Education Committee Chair Joe Cryan, as well as Education Committee members David Wolfe and Mila Jasey. Commissioner Lucille Davy served as a resource both the the Governor and to the panel. Read the attached minutes of the meeting to gain insight into the legislature's and administration's thinking public education issues that impact GSCS members.
More (hit ‘Ctrl + click to follow this link’ or go directly to the GSCS website www.gscschools.org)
9-13-09 As an issue for N.J.(Gubernatorial election), schools are in'
Philadelphia Inquirer-South Jersey News, Sunday, Sep. 13, 2009 'As an issue for N.J., schools are in...The candidates for governor are focusing on charters, funding, and business-tax scholarships.'
"...The big elephant in the room is, 'What about next year?' " said Lynne Strickland, director of the Garden State Coalition of Schools, which represents many suburban districts.
The state Office of Legislative Services has projected a possible $8 billion budget shortfall. What then? ..."
More...
9-9-09 News of Note
New York Times - 'Schools Aided by Stimulus Money Still Facing Cuts' Star Ledger - 'Teacher contracts in New Jersey reflect weak economy'
More...
9-3 & 4-09 News of Note
Gannett/Asbury Park Press - September 3, 2009 'Red Bank schools take on youngest pupils...District expands program for 3-year-olds with $2M in new state funding'
Asbury Park Press - September 4, 2009 'Hazlet school takes on new role...Now serves only preschool and kindergarten'
'District gets $1 million for special education' The Record/Northjersey.com - September 10, 2009
More...
STATE AID Questons? The Department of Education has a mailbox specifically to answer your questions
The DOE has requested that we remind districts that questions about state aid can be directed to the DOE state aid questions mailbox at: staid@doe.state.nj.us There are several people that monitor this mailbox and their response time is reported to be pretty good.
August 2009 Information on Federal Stimulus funding supporting school districts Fiscal Year 2009-2010
http://www.state.nj.us/education/arra/
|
SFSF - Equalization Aid Allocations |
|
Memo |
|
IDEA Allocations |
|
Memo |
|
Title I Allocations - Revised |
|
Memo |
More...
8-20-09 'Nearly all NJ teachers are highly qualified'
Star Ledger article based on information presented to the State Board of Education yesterday, Wednesday 8-19-09
More...
8-10-09 News of Note
PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER Sun, Aug. 9, 2009 'Moody's offers mixed economic outlook for N.J.' "...Republicans seized the opportunity to argue that the state's financial glass was half empty. Democrats saw it as half full....Both sides are motivated, in part, by the intense governor's race, but each perspective has validity... Moody's reaffirmed New Jersey's rating for a $200 million school-construction bond issue expected this week, but also revised its "outlook" on the state's general-obligation bonds from stable to negative..."
'Schools’ health insurance fees jump 25 percent Sunday, August 9, 2009...Suburban Trends' northjersey.com
"...the state health benefits plan, contracted through Horizon Blue Cross/Blue Shield, will increase its costs by 25 percent from Jan. 1, 2010 on..."
'School busing up 7.5% in last decade 'Assoc. Press
"...Rural districts and suburban districts with busy roads often provide additional busing..."
More...
8-7-09 'Bill would strengthen teacher tenure rights'
northjersey.com article re bill A4142 - GSCS first broke the news of this last-minute, fast track bill that surfaced in the Assembly Education Committee at the very end of June, after the Appropriations Acts for Fiscal Year 2009-2010 was passed. Committee members were caught unaware of the bill and had to vote on it the same day they first saw it. GSCS is adamantly opposed to this legislation. For details and GSCS reporting on the A4142 as it progressed through the Assembly Education Committee, see below on this homepage under the week of June 22, 2009. We urge folks to let their legislators know their opposition to this legislation, as well as Assembly Education Committee Chairman, Joe Cryan, and Governor Jon S. Corzine.
More...
GSCS Meetings Calendar 2009-2010
More...
8-4-09 Recent NJ Education News of Note
NJ school districts look to federal stimulus to boost special-needs programs - Sunday August 02, 2009, nj.com
Voters will weigh in on future of Pascack Valley, Northjersey.com
State set to announce feasibility studies for school consolidations Press of Atlantic City, 7-28-09
More...
7-22-09 'State gives extra aid for schools an extraordinary boost'
Press of Atlantic City/TRENTON - This year, extraordinary school aid really is extraordinary. The state Department of Education has awarded almost $140 million in so-called extraordinary state aid for 2009-2010 to school districts with disabled children whose education costs exceed $40,000 per year. The awards were a huge increase over last year, when the state budget included just $52 million for extraordinary aid. "We've worked hard on this for years," said Lynne Strickland, executive director of the Garden State Coalition of Schools. "Extra-ordinary expenses for just one or two children can push a district off the budget cliff."
More...
7-16-08 Schools Testing measures adopted; Test scoring upgraded - harder to pass
Philadelphia Inquirer - N.J. adopts tougher math, language standards The New Jersey Board of Education yesterday adopted tougher achievement standards for the state math and language-arts tests that third and fourth graders take.
Press of Atlantic City – New scoring makes 3rd-, 4th-grade tests harder to pass State wants expectations raised for all grade levels
More...
7-14-09 Philadelphia Inquirer Editorial
'One small step worth cheering' See editorial that talks about eliminating non-operating districts and responding reader comment that addresses value of home rule.
More...
