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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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