As many people are aware, the Governor and legislature are in the midst of an unprecedented process aimed at reducing the state’s high property taxes. While we are in complete agreement that something must be done to reduce property taxes, we believe that the thrust of a number of current education-related proposals are misconceived and misdirected and have the potential to seriously undermine quality education throughout the state without providing property tax relief. Among the proposals, and legislation that literally just began emerging December 4, that are now being fastracked through Trenton in an unprecedented process, and that may be enacted into law by the end of this month are...

December 2006

WHAT YOU CAN DO & HOW

Go to www.gscschools.org to learn more Go to www.njleg.us.state.nj to find Governor & legislator contact information 

1 BE INFORMED

Dear Parents: As many people are aware, the Governor and legislature are in the midst of an unprecedented process aimed at reducing the state’s high property taxes. While we are in complete agreement that something must be done to reduce property taxes, we believe that the thrust of a number of current education-related proposals are misconceived and misdirected and have the potential to seriously undermine quality education throughout the state without providing real, long-term property tax relief. Among the proposals, and legislation that literally just began emerging December 4, that are now being fastracked through Trenton in an unprecedented process, and that may be enacted into law by the end of this month are the following:

• Creating “super” County Superintendents who would be political appointees on two-year contracts, and whose contract renewals would be based strictly on their ability to cut costs not provide quality education. These appointees would have the power to veto local budgets and possibly remove non-mandated programs like Pre-K, full-day kindergarten, AP/Honors courses and extra-curricular offerings in the name of “efficiency”. “Super” superintendents could also veto employment contracts for local superintendents and some other administrators, potentially resulting in the loss of highly qualified employment candidates. (Bill number A4, part of Assembly Speaker Roberts’ CORE Plan; S42 in the Senate is the companion bill.) The State has not demonstrated how much it would cost to establish and run these ‘super’ county offices – no fiscal noted has been attached to the bills.

• Funding formulas that would wrap special education aid into basic per pupil foundation grants that would be at least partly determined by the wealth of students’ districts. This would deprive many districts of tens of thousands of dollars needed to pay for mandated special education services, and would cause cuts in regular programs and personnel. There is no hard evidence to suggest that any of these proposals would actually reduce the current high property tax levels, which are the direct result of a lack of state aid to school districts and municipalities, yet each has the potential to radically alter educational quality. The one-time savings derived from abolishing local administration would be largely, if not completely offset by the cost of establishing a large, permanent, patronage-driven county bureaucracy.

2CONTACT TRENTON

What can you do? Get in touch NOW with your legislators and the Governor (609 292 6000) as soon as possible by one, or ideally, all of the following: phone, letter or e-mail (for a sample letter, and contact information go to www.gscschools.org, and tell them that you expect them to:

3 COMMUNICATE YOUR CONCERNS-TELL TRENTON TO DO IT RIGHT

• Vote “No” on (Senate and Assembly bills) S42 & A4, the ‘CORE PLAN’

• Support a funding formula that mandates that every New Jersey student will receive a basic level of State education aid as well as keeping state categorical aid in place for specific student needs, regardless of where he or she lives.

• Support a school governance system that provides incentives for voluntary sharing of services and/or consolidations, and does not require massive consolidation, local voter disenfranchisement and/or denial of community involvement and input by concentrating authority for all school functions in the hands of a politically appointed County Superintendent, politically appointed County BOE and a county-based bureaucracy. If we work together we can create positive change, lower our property taxes and preserve educational quality. Given Trenton’s steamroll approach, the time to act is now!