School Construction

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

EMAILNET 6-10-05 School Construction Funding Heads Up!

GARDEN STATE COALITION OF SCHOOLS

EMAILNET 6-10-05

210 West State Street

Trenton, N.J. 08608

       609 394 2828/fax396 7620 ‘www.gscschools.org’ “gscs2000@gmail.com”

6-10-05 GSCS QUICK FACT…SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION FUNDING HEADS UP!

WORD IS LEAKING OUT THAT SECTION 15 GRANT FUNDING MAY NOT BE AVAILABLE FOR SEPTEMBER 05 BOND REFERENDA FOR SUBURBAN SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION...DEPT OF ED TO RELEASE NEW POLICY [A LITTLE LATE IN OUR ESTIMATION] FOR DISTRICTS NEXT WEEK REGARDING DEBT SERVICE POLICY PROCESS INSTEAD - STAY TUNED...

INITIAL CONCERNS:

SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION CORP HEAD JACK SPENCER HAS BEEN REPORTING THAT THE 2.5B ALLOTMENT FOR SUBURBAN SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION WAS ABOUT DRIED UP, SAYING THAT APPROXIMATELY 100M WAS REMAINING FOR NEXT ‘GO ROUND’ ON BOND REFERENDA.

PROBABLE TRENTON ISSUE HERE: IS 100M ENOUGH TO COVER THE ALL THE POSSIBLE SEPTEMBER REFENDA IF ALL PASS? IF NOT, WHAT TO DO?

THE PROCESS TO DEAL WITH THE TRANSITION FROM SECTION 15 GRANT FUNDING TO DEBT SERVICE NOT BEEN DETERMINED WITH ENOUGH ADVANCE NOTICE TO HELP LOCAL DISTRICTS, BOARDS AND COMMUNITIES HAVE AS MUCH EASE WITH THIS ANTICIPATED AND DIFFICULT TRANSITION AS POSSIBLE.

· CERTAINLY A LACK OF ADVANCE NOTICE WILL RESULT IN SCHOOL BOARDS & THEIR COMMUNITIES HAVING TO SPEND UNECESSARY TIME AND MONEY.

THE SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION PROGRAM HAS PROVIDED SUBRUBAN SCHOOL DISTRICTS WITH THE MOST SIGNIFICANT PROPERTY TAX RELIEF IN RECENT HISTORY; THE FUNDING SOURCE ‘DRY UP’ HAS BEEN ANTICIPATED, YET NO TIMELY STEPS HAVE YET BEEN TAKEN BY THE EXECUTIVE BRANCH OR THE LEGISLATURE TO ADDRESS EITHER THE FUNDING ISSUES THEREIN, NOR A PROCESS FOR TRANSITION TO DATE; ALL THIS COINCIDES WITH THE LEGISLATURE PUTTING SUBURBAN SCHOOLS ON A VIRTUAL FUNDING FREEZE FOR SEVERAL YEARS.

· STABLE SCHOOL AID FUNDING IS NEEDED NOW. THE LINK BETWEEN PROPERTY TAX INCREASES AND TRENTON INACTION IN PROVIDING STATE AID TO THE 540+ REGULAR OPERATING DISTRICTS HAS NEVER BEEN CLEARER.