Quality Public Education for All New Jersey Students

 

 
     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 3-7-06 S1701 Call to Action at Gov Corzine Public Hearing
READ IMPORTANT NOTICE AT TOP OF EMAILNET - GET INVOLVED AND SIGN UP TO ATTEND GOV'S BUDGET HEARING AT MONMOUTH UNIVERSITY, WEDNESDAY NIGHT,7PM. IF ENOUGH MOTIVATED RE S1701 SHOW UP, THE TOPIC MAY BE ADDED TO THE AGENDA.

Reminder: GSCS Brd of Trustees meeting tomorrow - Wednesday 3/8 - @E Brunswick Board of Education, 4p.m.

Governor Corzine will listen to you tomorrow night
                                 Monmouth Univ. 7pm
 S1701 Call to Action - 
Received this afternoon from Marjorie Heller, GSCS President-elect:
"By way of background, Kimberly Newsome Rumson parent & Executive Director of C.O.F.F.E.E ( a newly organized & growing 
group of families united to suppor quality public education)and Fair Haven parent & board of education member Kelly Zacarro were
in Trenton on Monday for a legislative conference.  They presented a
petition opposing S1701 that was signed by more than 100 people.  Later in 
the day, they were contacted by an aide to Jon Corzine and told that if they could
rally 100 people to attend The Governor's Budget 
meeting tomorrow at Monmouth University,
that Corzine would put S1701 on the agenda.  
Could you email as many people as possible to try to get the attendance requested?"  

From Kimberly Newsome:

 

"...We have an unbelievable opportunity for tomorrow night.  Kelly Zaccaro and I went to Trenton yesterday and visited with many legislators.  We also stopped in the Governor's office and dropped off a petition with hundreds of names gathered at their PTA event...  Kelly actually got a call back today and the person indicated that if we could guarantee 100 people, they would modify the agenda around our topic.


WE COULD TALK WITH THE GOVERNOR DIRECTLY ABOUT 1701.  Please, come.  RSVP the Governor's office at RSVP for the Central Jersey  Regional Community Dialogue, or call (609) 984-9852 (see the attached letter from the Governor) so that the Governor's office can see there are a large number who will be attending,  and also cc me at: kimberlynewsome2001@yahoo.com  an email to let her know you are coming and how many people will be with you.



We aren't going to get this opportunity again.  I am asking that you come and we can show Corzine that we aren't looking for Arabic and Chinese to be added to our curriculum, we are asking there to be sufficient funding for heat and to keep our teachers.

I look forward to seeing you tonight.  Please forward this email to anyone you think would be interested in coming.

Thank you. Kimberly Newsome "

On the Homepage this morning...www.gscschools.org

3-7-06 Articles on Gov's Budget Summit & School Board members fo to Trenton

GSCS Quick Take:
GSCS was at the Gov's Summit. The program was a straightforward, rather personal dialogue with Governor Corzine, his cabinet and fiscal consultants as billed:"This summit seeks to draw together New Jersey’s leaders, policy makers and experts in an effort to foster discussion, dialogue, and understanding about the state’s multibillion-dollar budget crisis."

Factual presentations set a grim table re the state's fiscal stability and practical availability of funding for FY07 is clearly fragile. The need for additional revenue with the unspoken elephant in the room.

While the Corzine administration is now into its 49th day in its new role, regular operating school districts are somewhere around their 2000th day of no formula funding with no predictable funding to build their own budgets that must support growing enrollments. Local taxes will continue to have to pay for cost drivers beyond local control [such as special education, health benefits, utilities]. Property taxes will continue to increase while quality education remains subject to being leveled down. A difficult mix. Meanwhile, school board members from around the state visited in with Legislators and the Governor in Trenton during the day's session, hearing a similar message.

GSCS met with Commissioner of Education Lucille Davy later in the day to discuss future options for school support in this context.

The Governor continues public outreach with 3 regional hearings on the budget, starting this evening. See EMAILNET 3-3-06 below.
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