4-16-06 Sunday NY Times Metro Section, front page      4-13-06 'Budget cap puts NJ schools on edge'      3-9-06 Governor speaks to S1701 at town meeting      EMAILNET 3-9-06 to South Jersey districts      COFFEE a coalition of families for excellent education      EMAILNET 3-7-06 S1701 Call to Action at Gov Corzine Public Hearing      12-8-05 GSCS and Educ community testify together for S1701 amendment bills before Assembly Educa Com      1-17-06 Asbury Park Press "Viewpoint" letters on S1701      Op-ed piece written by GSCS Parent Network Regional Representative Kim Newsome published in Monmouth's "Two River Times" July 2005      LINK to the S1701 Law      S1701 Summit Board members' report re GSCS 1-11-08 Board mtg      1-29-06 Asbury Park Press Sunday Front Page Right      1-24-06 Asbury Park Press 'Funding sparks heated debate'      FYI - S1701 impacts on local districts - excerpts from NJSBA spring 2005 survey, released 9-27-05      Posted 1-17-06 December 2005 article from the NewsTranscript of Monmouth County      1-17-06 Asbury Park Press      1-12-06 Asbury Park Press letter to the editor      12-20-05 Star Ledger 'Schools lower the heat and risk a backlash'      Recap on property tax issues and S1701 - GSCS has been requesting legislative help on school budget cost drivers for a number of years - here is one example from summer 2004      12-16-05 Star Ledger Schools may end courtesy busing, tied to S1701 budget stressors      12-16-05 EMAILNET      12-12-05 EMAILNET Bills move out of Assembly Education Committee      5-6-05 EMAILNET Important S1701 meeting in Rumson      UPDATE on 12-8-05 Assembly Education Committee hearing      12-2-05 Hopewell Valley letter to Senate Education Committee Chair Shirley Turner re: school budget amendment bills & S1701      EMAILNET 12-3-05 Heads Up!      11-15-05 EMAILNET      Parent Letter to Senate Education Committee Chair on S1701 and request to move amendment legislation      S1701 EMAILNET Alert 11-28-05      Ridgewood Board of Education member letter to legislators 11-15-05; good example letter with local legislator response      Parent letter to legislators on S1701 and 'stalled status of amendment bills S2329 and S2278'      EMAILNET 11-10-05 UPDATE on STATUS of S1701      10-28-05 EMAILNET S1701 resignation, Gubernatorial election information      AMEND S1701: GRASSROOTS BUMPER MAGNETS now available at the initiation of GSCS Rumson parent and their networking      Readington Forum on School Funding & Meet the Assembly Candidates 11-1-05      Invitation to October 7 Rumson hosts 'Stuff S1701' Party      October 7 Sample Letter for 'Stuff S1701' Party Rumson area. html      Parents in Trenton 9-21-05 Press Conference      Link to The Hub article on Rumson Parent 5-19-05 Meeting Opposing S1701, GSCS and Assemblymen Sean Kean & Steve Coredemus co-hots      Schools will seek Extra Funding      Parents Give Codey an Earful      Courier Post Online      Bill to loosen school budgets altered      Educators urge parents to fight school spending cap      School funding plan gets OK from panel      Legislature Acts to Revamp School Spending Caps      Educators to Argue for Repeal of Cap Law      S1701 One Board Member's Perspective      Moody's Investment Services School Bond Rating Analysis post S1701 passage (pdf)      EMAILNET 7-8-05 GSCS Take on Assembly Passage of A3680      Asbury Park Press-Gannet Bureau 7-2-05 Legislature Passes Aid bill for Districts Near Abbotts      October 13 2004 School Funding and S1701 Meeting hosted by Bergen County school group 'Dollars & Sense      Glen Ridge Schools and Garden State Coalition co-host Dec 9 Meeting 'Public Support for Public Education v. Property Tax Stress' plus a focus on new school funding law S1701      Red Bank Regional High School, Red Bank K-8 Schools, Little Silver, Fair Haven,Rumson-Fair Haven, Rumson K-8, Shrewsbury, and the GArden State Coalition Host December 6, 2004 Forum on the new school funding legislation S1701      Rumson PTA, Monmouth Parents sponsor S1701 meeting, co-hosted by 11th District Assemblyman Sean Kean & the GSCS May 2005      040430EMAILNET Govs PTax Proposal - reaction (Word)      One Board's Example: Glen Ridge Public Schools      Princeton Public Schools education symposium to explore impact of school cap legislation      Real Figures and Sound Facts - A Grassroots Rebuttal to Trenton on S1701      GSCS School Funding and S1701 Power Point - February 2005      EMAILNET 2-21-05 S1701 and A3680 Still Stalled      School Funding Presentation December 2004

EMAILNET 11-10-05 UPDATE on STATUS of S1701
Information and member advocacy FYI.

GARDEN STATE COALITION OF SCHOOLS: EMAILNET S1701 FYI 11-10-05

 

CURRENT STATUS: AMENDMENT BILLS/MEMBER ADVOCACY REQUEST

ASSEMBLY ACTION:

• A3680 Assemblyman Joe Cryan et al: passed unanimously in the Assembly in  6/05.
• AN IDENTICAL companion bill needs to be passed in the Senate in order for the Governor to sign S1701 amendment bill into law.

 

SENATE ACTION (INACTION): COMPANION BILLS TO A3680 INTRODUCED BUT HELD FROM ACTION TO DATE; NOT YET POSTED FOR HEARING IN THE SENATE EDUCATION COMMITTEE:

 

The following two Senate bills are identical to A3680, as well as to each other, thus they are poised and ready to move.

 

(1)     One bill, S2278 was introduced first in 1/31/05 by Senator Tom Kean, a Republican from Westfield; the co-prime sponsor is Senator Steven Sweeney, a Democrat from Salem area.

 

(2)     The other bill, S2329, was first introduced on 2/7/05 by Senator Paul Sarlo, a Democrat from Wood-Ridge; the co-prime sponsor is Senator Joseph Coniglio, a Democrat from Paramus.

 

THE SENATE EDUCATION COMMITTEE IS SCHEDULED FOR A COMMITTEE HEARING THIS DECEMBER 8. GSCS ASKS ITS MEMBERS TO WRITE/EMAIL/CALL THE EDUCATION COMMITTEE CHAIR, SENATOR SHIRLEY TURNER, AND ASK HER TO POST THE * TWO  BILLS, S2329 &  S2278, TO BE HEARD ON THE 8^TH.

 

*Because these 2 bills are identical to one another, it is advised that members be inclusive of each when talking with their legislators about S1701 amendment legislation. It is up to the legislature to decide how to move ahead in this situation. Often the bills would be ‘merged’ or ‘combined’ when they are posted at the committee level.

 

In addition to making it clear that districts and parents are still very much concerned about the negative impact overall of S1701 and its lack of foresight and flexibility, LETTERS SHOULD INCLUDE:

 

ü       Your request to the Chair to post the identical bills S2329 and S2279 the12/8/05 Education Committee hearing.

 

ü       Specific examples of what S1701 has meant/done to your district, in terms of

     staffing, programs, class sizes, etc.

 

ü       What reduced surplus to 2% means to your district in terms of automatic property tax increases for your April 06 school budget, as well as in terms of having to rob Peter to pay Paul (in district) since there is no flexibility in

     budgets when unpredictable circumstances

     occur: e.g., gas costs in transportation and

     heating, children moving to district with special 

     needs.

 

Send a copy of your letters/communications to Senator Wayne Bryant, Chair of the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee and the Senator Leonard Lance, Senate Minority Leader. It also is a wise courtesy to cc: your local legislators whenever communicating to legislative leadership.

 

Sen Wayne Bryant  

OFFICE: 501 Cooper St.  

Camden, NJ 08102-1240   

PHONE (609) 530                       

 

Sen Shirley Turner 

OFFICE: 1440 Pennington Rd.     

Ewing, NJ 08618    

PHONE (856) 757-0552                             

 

Sen Leonard Lance                           

OFFICE: 119 Main St.

Flemington, NJ 08822-3277                    

PHONE (908) 788-6900

 

Senate President Richard Codey:  sencodey@njleg.org

Find your legislator:  http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/members/legsearch.asp