Quality Public Education for All New Jersey Students

 

 
     9-27-09 Education News of Note
     8-22-08 School Construction Guidelines Released
     6-25-08 'State to borrow 3.9B for school construction'
     6-24-08 State Budget passed yesterday, as did the School Construction, Pension Reform, and Affordable Housing bills
     6-23-08 A2873-S1457 School Construction bills up for vote today, along with State Budget FY09
     6-20-08 State Budget stalls, school construction is one obstacle
     6-18-08 School Construction bill is before Senate Budget & Approps Comm tomorrow - GSCS is tracking the issue
     8-8-07 Editorial 'School [construction] program needs more than a facelift'
     8-7-07 'State rebuilds school construction program'
     School Construction: Third Report to Governor by Interagency Working Group
     9-15-06 Star Ledger & AP - 3.25B suggested for school construction
     9-15-06 Star Ledger - 3.25B suggested for school construction
     August 2006 District Resolution for School Construction Aid
     School Construction Symposium July 27, 2006 for Regular Operating Districs [Non Abbotts]
     10-14-05 EMAILNET Parent question for Gubernatorial Candidates aired on 101.5 debate, SCC funds, Next Board meeting, press briefing notes
     9-29-05 EMAILNET School Construction Issues
     7-29-05 EMAILNET
     3-15-06 Report to Gov re school construction Interagency WorkingGroup
     3-15-06 NY Times 'Crisis at School Agency Reflects Missteps'
     3-10-06 New Management at School Construction Corp
     3-8-06 Gannet Press on Buildling Our Children's Future coalition
     3-4-06 Star Ledger SCC Agency chief puts burden on districts
     3-4-06 Gannett - SCC chief says Abbott districts may have to 'ante up'
     List - Regular Operating Districts waiting State Share Payments confirmation for school construction
     GSCS 10-3-05 School Construction Testimony before the Joint Comm. on Public Schools
     Legislators Assail School Building Agency at Hearing
     Dept Ed Directive 7-6-05: School Construction Sec 15 Grant Funding for more than 450 districts questionable
     2-14-06 TrentonTimes Letter to the Editor on school construction
     2-9-06 Star Ledger School agency reformers discuss goals, problems
     1-15-06 The Record 2 Sunday Articles anticipating top issues confronting the Corzine administration
     12-21-05 Inspector General's Report on the School Construction Corporation
     12-20-05 Star Ledger on NJ Supreme Court decision on stalled school construction
     12-20-05 The Record 'Where Will the Bills End?' NJ Supreme Court releases its opinion on stalled school construction program.
     12-15-05 Star Ledger School bond plans get resounding 'no'
     11-13-05 Star Ledger Sunday front page 'Blueprint for 6 Billion Dollar Boondagle
     9-29-05 Star Ledger 'NJ in hole for 53M after vote on school funds promised for construction
     EMAILNET 6-10-05 School Construction Funding Heads Up!
     Tuesday's School Construction Bond Referenda: Some facts
     School Construction aid entitlements Abbott (pdf)
     School Construction aid entitlements 55% and over Districts (pdf)
     School construction aid entitlement districts 40% to 55% (pdf)
     Debt Service v State Share 0 to 40 Districts, before and after Ch. 72 PL2000 law(pdf)
     School Construction Sec 15 Grant Funding in Question - DOE Directive 7-6-05
     school Construction DOE Directive 7-6-05
7-29-05 EMAILNET
Commissioner Librera resigns to take Rutgers post; School Construction funds almost dry; GSCS Meetings Calendar 2005-2006.

GARDEN STATE COALITION OF SCHOOLS/GSCS

EMAILNET 7-29-05

 

210 West State Street, Trenton, NJ 08608

609 394 2828    fax 609 396 7620

gscs2000@gmail.com

Go to: www.gscschools.org for info & to sign up for GSCS Parent Network

 

 

Commissioner William Librera has resigned his education post to head up institute at Rutgers Graduate School of Education this fall. At this point, no announcement of a successor has been released, although recent news articles have cited high education officials saying that Assistant Commissioner Richard Rosenberg is the likely candidate to step into the commissioner position until the new Governor weighs in after the elections in November.

 

While his years of clear dedicated service have been coincidental for difficult years for many school districts across the state, GSCS wishes the Commissioner well in his new endeavor and thanks him for the elevated stature of education leadership he brought to his office, his hard work to enhance education in New Jersey overall, and his outreach and accessibility to education stakeholders that brought credibility to the office. His demonstrated respect for local district experience has been particularly appreciated. Commissioner Librera is to be applauded for adding a dimension of civility to public discourse.  Here are some related articles:

 

Philadelphia Inquirer 7-29-05 State Education is Latest N.J. Cabinet Member to resign

http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/local/states/new_jersey/12251749.htm

 

Star Ledger 7-29-05 Librera Leaving Under Mixed Reviews

http://www.nj.com/printer/printer.ssf?/base/news-0/1122614222119280.xml&coll=1

 

School Construction fund’s thinning resources result in the School Construction Corporation [SCC] announcing a ‘cut list’ this Wednesday for Abbott districts. Suburban district funding not included on agenda at all.

 

Public information is needed now for suburban districts:

In the recent past, the SCC has said that the $2.5B fund for the more than 540 regular operating districts in the state is nearly drained.  In a glaring omission, the SCC chose not to inform the public on any specifics of what remains in store for these districts. With over 900 non-Abbott facilities project applications on the Department of Education’s desk, the SCC did not include this critical issue on its agenda.

 

GSCS has learned that as of May 31, the state had committed $2.308 billion of the non-Abbott funds (excluding Vo-Tech-s $100 million) as of May 31, 2005. This means that $191,449,527* remain of that original $2.5B fund set up for the state regular operating districts.  However, the SCC has recently stated that this fund holds only about $80M.

 *This information is drawn from the SCC’s monthly report prepared by the SCC's newly appointed chief financial officer.

Trenton Times 7-29-05 School Funding Issues Raised/School Construction

http://www.nj.com/statehouse/times/index.ssf?/base/news-0/112262432919071.xml&coll=5

“One day after the announcement of which school projects in poor districts will get the last of state funding, mayors promised to press for more money, lawmakers demurred and suburban officials asked what's left for them. …While lawmakers are looking at the past, school officials in suburban districts, which have had 40 percent of their construction projects funded through the SCC are wondering about their fate. “

 

Star Ledger 7-29-05  $178M invested in now-shelved school projects

http://www.nj.com/news/ledger/index.ssf?/base/news-1/1122615938119280.xml&coll=1

Gannet 7-28-05 School Construction Corp hands out last of money

http://www.app.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050728/NEWS0301/507280601/1008

Excerpt from Education Law Center 7-27-05 Press Release re: SCC ‘CUT LIST’  “…Hundreds of needed projects in non-urban districts will likely not proceed as well. SCC has announced that the 2.6 billion allocation of construction funding for those districts is running out.”

“…In separate rulings in 1998 and 2000 in the Abbott v. Burke case, the Supreme Court has ordered the State to fully fund all of the facilities projects needed in the Abbott districts. "The SCC action today clearly violates the letter and spirit of those rulings," said Sciarra.”

                    GARDEN STATE COALITION OF SCHOOLS BOARD MEETING CALENDAR 2005-2006

 

Unless Otherwise noted, Board Meetings will be held on the second Wednesdays of the month, 4:00 – 5:30 p.m., at the East Brunswick Board of Education, 760 Rt. 18 South [3 + miles south on Route 18 just off the Turnpike, Exit 9], 732 613 6705 (East Brunswick superintendent’s office).Meetings are open to member, simply RSVP ‘gscs2000@gmail.com’ in advance.

 

Month                           Day                 

 

September                    14

 

October                         19   [3rd Wednesday]

 

November                      16   [3rd Wednesday]

 

December                     14

 

January                          11

 

February                          8

 

March                               8

 

April                                  5   [1st Wednesday]

 

May                                10

 

July                                12   [morning]

TO BE CONFIRMED

 

1 GSCS hosted Conference: PUBLIC SUPPORT FOR PUBLIC EDUCATION [fall]

 

2  TRENTON DAY: GSCS Parent Network Sponsored  [later fall]

 

3  GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING: Wednesday evening Feb. 8

 

4  ANNUAL BREAKFAST MEETING:     Wednesday  May 31