Quality Public Education for All New Jersey Students

 

Property Taxes, School Funding issues
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12-12-08 GSCS FYI Excerpts
GSCS - Recent Highlights: School Funding: GSCS has on-going dialogue in Trenton regarding the School Funding Reform Act [SFRA]. GSCS questions the stability of the SFRA’s funding promise, and the downward spending design concern inherent in the ‘adequacy budget’ where 383 school districts are already spending above that level. The time to bring the SFRA concerns to public – and Trenton’s – attention must be now and must be on-going......It is important to understand that the most recent Supreme Court decision (Abbott XIX) in November 2008 specifically noted that the Court was focused only on the Abbott districts, regardless of what other districts may have brought to the Court via amicus argument. As per the Court’s limited jurisdiction, amici arguments brought to the remand hearing established by the Court can bear only upon the Abbott argument, rather than on the interests of regular operating districts.......GSCS appropriately focuses its attention on these critical funding issues on the legislature and the Administration. It is important to understand that it is not only the SFRA that impacts how schools are funded, but also several laws passed prior to and in concert with the SFRA (The Core bill, A4, A5 etc.). Together, these laws combine to threaten quality education in the future. In particular re: SFRA, GSCS is concerned about the low ceiling of the adequacy budget formula, the census-based special education aid and loss of categorical aid, and the overall thrust of wealth-equalization aid, among other things.Click on More for full FYI information and issues

Garden State Coalition of Schools

Public Support for Public Education

GSCS        FYI

December 2008

All the best for a wonderful holiday season!

Meetings

·         1/28/09: (Wednesday): GSCS Board meeting/members welcome,            3:30 PM, East Brunswick Public Schools Board Office.                             RSVP gscs2000@gmail.com

Legislature

12/08/08: Senate Education Committee, A15 on the agenda/update:

o   S1861 (A15)--Provides for the election of school board members at November general election and eliminates vote on school budgets that are below cap. The bill passed out of committee 3-2, and is headed to the senate floor for a vote (12-15-08 is likely). In order for the bill to become law, it has to pass both houses in identical form the companion bill to S1861, A15, will have to be amended and voted on again in the Assembly since technical amendments were made to S1861 by the Senate Education Committee. GSCS is also seeking an amendment in this bill to remove the 60% supermajority required now to pass votes seeking public support beyond statutory caps. (See link to NJN news on 12/8/08 for GSCS comments  [4 minutes 50 secs. Into newscast]  http://njn.net/television/webcast/njnnews/monday.html  )

 

For GSCS testimony, go to www.gscschools.org click 12-8-08 on home page.

 

o   S2425--Requires superintendent to assume responsibilities of principal in certain school districts, when enrollments are 500 or less.  This bill was held in committee.

 

            12/15/08 (Monday): Senate session

 

12/15/08 (Monday): Assembly session

 

GSCS - Recent Highlights:      

12-08 GSCS FYI p2

 

School Funding: GSCS has on-going dialogue in Trenton regarding the School Funding Reform Act [SFRA]. GSCS questions the stability of the SFRA’s funding promise, and the downward spending design concern inherent in the ‘adequacy budget’ where 383 school districts are already spending above that level. The time to bring the SFRA concerns to public – and Trenton’s – attention must be now and must be on-going.

 

It is important to understand that the most recent Supreme Court decision (Abbott XIX) in November 2008 specifically noted that the Court was focused only on the Abbott districts, regardless of what other districts may have brought to the Court via amicus argument. As per the Court’s limited jurisdiction, amici arguments brought to the remand hearing established by the Court can bear only upon the Abbott argument, rather than on the interests of regular operating districts.

 

GSCS appropriately focuses its attention on these critical funding issues on the legislature and the Administration. It is important to understand that it is not only  the SFRA that impacts how schools are funded, but also several laws passed prior to  and in concert with the SFRA (The Core bill, A4, A5 etc.). Together, these laws combine to threaten quality education in the future. In particular re: SFRA, GSCS is concerned about the low ceiling of the adequacy budget formula, the census-based special education aid and loss of categorical aid, and  the overall thrust of wealth-equalization aid, among other things.

 

Pre-School Mandate: On-going meetings and conversations sharing GSCS members’ concerns  re: timelines and implementation issues with stakeholders, including Association for the Children of New Jersey [ACNJ], Education Law Center, as well as legislators and the Administration, coalition of education groups sharing similar concerns. GSCS supports the concept behind preschool education and endorses implementation for the ‘ready districts’ in 2009. Where districts are not ready and/or since a number of process issues remain unclear, GSCS recommends a slowing down of the implementation timetable.

 

High School Redesign:  Working to explore process and goal issues and suggest recommendations to the Administration, especially regarding testing and ‘one size fits all’ limitations. Meetings are on-going. GSCS has strengthened its approach to this discussion by working with other interested parties, in particular the NJ Council for Vo-Technical Schools and the Education Law Center.

_______________________________________________________________________With your help – backed up by 17 years of experience and earned credibility at the Statehouse - GSCS will continue to steadfastly persevere in bringing these and other relevant issues of regular operating districts, primarily suburban, to the Statehouse table.

For further information, GSCS on the issues go to http://www.gscschools.org