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(3-23-06) DOE Releases 2006-07 State Aid Figures
State aid figures for the 2006-07 school year were announced today by New Jersey Department of Education officials.
As a result of the state’s severe fiscal crisis, the budget proposed by Governor Jon S. Corzine for K-12 education provides level state funding for most school districts. Some districts will see modest increases or decreases.
Education Opportunity Aid, provided to the Abbott districts, is funded at the level of the final 2005-06 EOA payments for most of the districts. This includes an increase of $96 million over the initial fiscal 2006 appropriation.
In eight of the Abbott districts – Newark, Jersey City, Garfield, New Brunswick, Perth Amboy, Asbury Park, Long Branch and Neptune – local officials are required to raise the general fund tax levy to generate additional support for educational services. The increase is to be accomplished in a manner that will limit the average household tax increase to $125.
“Once you force people to face up to fiscal reality, as the Governor has done, you have to make some very tough decisions,” said acting Commissioner of Education Lucille E. Davy. “But it is important for us all to recognize that these difficult choices must be made in order to put an end to the state’s recurring structural budget deficit and secure our state’s economic future.”
Davy noted that one-third of the state budget goes to education, and 99.4 percent of that money is for school aid.
“I think the education community and the public has to understand that for the Governor to basically flat-fund education, while making deep cuts and eliminations in almost every other program, is an indication that our state’s 1.4 million school children are one of his highest priorities,” she said.
“We also cannot overlook the Governor’s commitment to increase the state’s contribution to the Teachers Pension and Annuity Fund by $743 million, his commitment to increase the state’s contribution to teachers’ social security by $36 million and the $36 million increase in retiree health benefits,” Davy said.
“While not direct state aid to districts, these very large increases in payments are going to allow districts to continue to attract and retain the high quality teachers we need in our schools,” the acting Commissioner said.
Other state aid changes include:
§ A $5.575 million increase (to $17.575) in aid for districts with above average enrollment growth. Non-Abbott districts with projected growth of at least 2.5 percent over the past five years will receive aid in this category.
§ A $3.23 million decrease (to $86.8 million) in Additional Formula Aid to districts that have had declining enrollments for five consecutive years between 2001 and 2005 or four consecutive years between 2002 and 2005. Districts that experienced a decline in special education enrollment will also lose Additional Formula Aid.
§ A $1.9 million increase (to $21.9 million) in aid to certain districts that border Abbott districts, a program that was authorized by legislation last year. The five districts that received this aid last year –
§ A $39 million increase in Preschool Expansion Aid. This is a 19 percent increase over last year’s $204.2 million.
§ A $5 million decrease (from $10 million) in Higher Expectations for Learning and Proficiency (HELP) aid. The qualifications for this aid have been modified. It will now go to districts with per-pupil equalized property valuations below $750,000 (last year, the level was $1.1 million) and county vocational schools which draw more than 51 percent of their enrollments from Abbott districts.
§ A $1.66 million decrease (to $8.31 million) in aid to Choice districts, which accept students from other districts under the School Choice program established by the state. This aid is based on final enrollment calculations. In addition, Choice districts will only receive funding for the number of students enrolled in the 2005-06 school year; they will not be able to accept additional students.
§ Aid-in-Lieu funding, which provides reimbursement for public transportation expenditures for nonpublic school students, will be fixed at the 2005-06 per-pupil level. There will be no automatic CPI increase.
The only single line item from the 2005-06 budget that remains in this year’s proposed budget is $4 million for
State aid figures are available online by clicking here. Acting Commissioner Davy’s memorandums to the eight Abbott school districts are attached here. Acting Commissioner Davy’s memorandum to all other school districts in the state is attached here. The attachment for that memorandum is here.
(3-24-06) Acting Commissioner Davy Releases
2006 Comparative Spending Guide;
Urges Public to Participate in School Budget Process
Acting Commissioner of Education Lucille E. Davy today released the 2006 Comparative Spending Guide. The guide is a statistical report to the public that details how local school districts in
The Comparative Spending Guide, found online at:
http://www.nj.gov/njded/guide/2006/
provides local educators and citizens with information about a school district’s annual budget. It ranks similar school districts in 14 of 15 spending categories, such as total administrative costs or total classroom instruction, and in four staffing indicators, such as student-teacher ratios and faculty-administrative staff ratios.
It presents spending data over time, including spending budgeted for this year, for the public to review and discuss with their local school boards.
Acting Commissioner Davy said the guide was being released today because public hearings on school district budgets begin on March 27. Annual school elections, during which budgets are voted upon, will take place on April 18.
“This year, we are all faced with extraordinary challenges in keeping costs down without sacrificing quality in our public schools,” she continued. “I urge the public to participate in the school budget process this year and to use the Comparative Spending Guide to stimulate discussions about their local school spending plans.”
Each indicator in the Comparative Spending Guide presents costs on a per pupil basis, with three years of data presented; the four staffing indicators contain two years of data. The total per pupil cost indicator reflects all spending common to school districts and includes total current expense and spending for early childhood education programs, demonstrably effective programs, special education, bilingual education, supplemental instruction, county vocational schools and adult and post-secondary education.
Spending areas not included in the guide are pensions, transportation and tuition expenses because they can vary widely from district to district.
According to the new guide released today, total budgeted comparative costs statewide average $11,554 in the current school year, up 3.8 percent from the previous year. Classroom instruction makes up the majority of these expenditures at $6,822 pupil, representing 59 percent of the total budgeted comparative cost per pupil and up $224, or 3.4 percent from the previous year.
A further breakdown of the total comparative cost indicates that support services, such as guidance and nursing services, account for $1,768, or 15.3 percent of the total comparative cost per pupil, an increase of $113, or 6.8 percent, from the previous year. Administrative costs, at $1,289, or 11.2 percent of the total comparative cost per pupil, represent an increase of 1.8 percent from the previous year.
The Comparative Spending Guide compares school districts of similar size with each other. The groups are: K-6; K-8 (with subgroupings of enrollments from 0-399, 400-750 and more than 750); K-12 (with subgroupings of enrollments from 0-1,800; 1,801 to 3,500; and more than 3,500); grades 7-12 and 9-12; county special services; county vocational schools; and charter schools.
Districts are listed alphabetically and are ranked low to high in spending for each of three years, within their subgroups. All local school districts were given an opportunity to review the information in the guide prior to its release.
Acting Commissioner Davy noted that the guide, as a statistical document, cannot by itself present a complete picture on how schools invest in education. She encouraged parents and interested citizens to learn how their school spending patterns relate to the goals of their districts and changes in their communities.
Davy urged citizens to participate in the school development process and to cast informed votes in the annual school election, scheduled for April 18.
