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GARDEN STATE COALITION OF SCHOOLS/GSCS
EMAILNET FYI 6-10-08
BRINGING YOU UP TO DATE - TRENTON & STATE BUDGET ACTION,
COMMITTEE HEARINGS, GSCS ANNUAL MEETING, more…………….
GSCS QUICK FACT:
· Next Board of Trustees meeting is July 16, 9:30,
at the East Brunswick Board of Education (find directions under sidebar link to 'Board Information'). Please RSVP to gscs2000@gmail.com with you attendance plans.
· GSCS was pleased and rewarded that Assemblyman Joe Cryan announced at the GSCS Annual Meeting today that he will seek an amendment to A15 to remove the 60% voter participation- passage requirement on 2nd questions.See GSCS 5-30-08 note below.
On the GSCS homepage today – full details are just
1 click away on www.gscschools.org
GSCS - WHAT do WE do for YOU?
More...
GSCS 17th Annual Meeting pictures
The meeting was held at the Forsgate Country Club on May 29, 2008. The GSCS program was very well received by members and friends. GSCS was pleased to have featured guests Governor Jon Corzine, Assembly Education Committee Chairman/Democratic State Committee Chair Joe Cryan, and Commissioner of Education Lucille Davy all address the audience, as well as spend the time to participate in a lengthy Q & A session.
More...
6-10-08 Committee hearings of note this week
6-10-08 Joint Committee on the Public Schools, Trenton
6-12-08Assembly Education Committee, Trenton
Committee hearings can be seen on line, go to the New Jersey legislature website for viewing. To see hearing agenda (Asm Educ. Comm. agenda revised 6-9-08 for new bill A2975 re negotiations limitations on contracts for school superintendents, asst. superintendents, and business administrators), click on More...
6-10-08 NJ lawmakers work on $33B spending plan Tuesday
News short from the Ledger - New Jersey legislative leaders hope to finish work today on the final details of a $33 billion state plan for taxes and spending that has to be in place by July 1. Senate President Richard Codey (D-Essex) said he is hopeful a budget deal will be struck today. Then both houses of the Legislature will be able to vote on the spending plan by June 19, well before the end of the fiscal year, June 30.
6-9-08 GSCS Quick Facts: TRENTON FOCUS THIS WEEK
IT'S ALL ABOUT GETTING THE STATE BUDGET PUT TO BED, this includes potential revisions of the pension process and how to handle school construction funding for Abbott districts which could also impact regular operating districts - GSCS is watching how process is developing...At the same time, bills are moving through education committees that will impact school districts. One such is giving emergrency powers to the Commissioner to put accountability regulations in place immediately. These regulations will impct all districts right away, and include much on budgeting process and executive county superintendent roles & requirements of the job. Click on More below to see Assembly Education Committee agenda for June 12 & read relevant article and editorial.....................
................................................................................................................................................... Pension reform's moment - Sunday Star Ledger, June 08, 2008
Sunday 6-8-08, N.J. budget talks hit home stretch- THE ASSOCIATED PRESS ... 'New Jersey legislators trying to keep hopes for a mid-June budget agreement alive also plan action in the coming weeks on several other key issues, including measures meant to address housing costs, school construction and economic worries...'
'Proposed: Voters to OK all borrowing' Amendment to rein in state debt advances, the Ledger,More...
GOVERNOR'S PROPOSED BUDGET Fiscal Year 2009...INFOMore...
Office of Leg Services Analysis of Gov's Education budget FY09More...
GSCS & NJ Special Education Funding Coalition on STATE FUNDING FOR EXTRAORDINARY COST
Issue Summary: Produced by Garden State Coalition of Schools and The New Jersey Coalition for Special Education Funding Reform (Released at the GSCS Annual Meeting, May 29, 2008.)More...
2008-2009 GSCS EXECUTIVE OFFICERS & BOARD OF TRUSTEES
At its May 29 2008 Annual Meeting, the GSCS membership unanimously voted on the attached slate of officers and Trustee Districts. GSCS extends its sincere thanks to those who are moving on, as well as up. More...
6-4-08 Education Week Releases 'Diplomas Count' report & data
EDUCATION WEEK 'DIPLOMAS COUNT' DATA http://www.edweek.org/ew/toc/2008/06/05/index.html Dear Educator/GSCS - It's here! The Diplomas Count 2008: School to College has arrived. This third annual report, with support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, is now available online at edweek.org. During our
edweek.org Open House, you can access the whole report for FREE! The report explores the rapid growth of state-level P-16 councils and how they seek to create a more seamless schooling continuum that prepares students from preschool through college and beyond for life, work, and further education....be sure to check out our other benchmark reports, Quality Counts and Technology Counts.For full reports and data click here on
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6-4-08 In the News
Ledger editorial - Holding schools to account Wednesday, June 04, 2008"...The wrongs that are being uncovered cannot, however, be used as an excuse simply to cut school funding instead of enact ing true remedies..." More...
6-3-08 Senate Education Committee agenda for Thursday, 6-5 More...
6-1-08 'Shake up on school elections'
Sunday, June 1, 2008 The RECORD - Columnist comments on proposed legislation A10, A15.
More...
6-1-08 Sunday Column - Court could get taken to school
Star Ledger, Sunday, June 01, 2008 "...I attended the governor's speech to the Garden State Coalition of Schools last week at the Forsgate Country Club...The emotional highlight came when he described his visit earlier in the week to six schools in the Iron bound section of Newark...But if the Abbott system has in deed ended, as Corzine contends, then why do the 31 districts formerly known as Abbott still get 100 percent of their construction costs paid by the state? ...Highland Park is a member of the Garden State Coalition. Like other member towns, it gets very little state aid. So the burden of supporting the local schools falls on working stiffs like that caterer[the writer met in the parking lot, a citizen of Highland Park]. And even though Highland Park, like many middle-class towns, is packed to the gills with liberal Democrats, even liberal Democrats have their limits. If this [school construction] bond measure goes on the ballot, we'll find out just what those limits are..." More...
5-30-08 GSCS 17th Annual Meeting featured the Governor, Education Commissioner and Assembly Education Committee Chair
GSCS was pleased to have Governor Corzine, Assembly Education Committee Chair Joe Cryan and Commissioner Davy spend a combined total of more than two hours with over 120 GSCS members. All three officials addressed the audience individually; presentations were followed by Q & A sessions.....Governor Jon Corzine is willing to review certain mandates with an eye to cutting down on them where possible, with the recommendation of Commissioner Lucille Davy.....An objective of GSCS' has been to remove the 60% voter participation 'yes' vote requirement for 2nd questions imposed via the CORE legislation.
GSCS was pleased and rewarded that Assemblyman Joe Cryan announced at the GSCS Annual Meeting today that he will seek an amendment to A15 to remove the 60% voter participation- passage requirement on 2nd questions. The bill A15 moves school board elections to November, as well as any 2nd question - the Assemblyman's rationale here is that the voter participation will be increased thus giving the public more say in 2nd question passage..There was discussion about the $2.5B proposal for school construction in the Abbott districts, talk of review of superintendent contracts and related issues...In addition to print media, clips from the meeting were aired on NJN and News 12 NJ...to see news coverage and Annual Meeting Program, click on More...
