Quality Public Education for All New Jersey Students

 

 
     3-30-13 Education in the News - Dept of Education-State Budget, Autism Rates in NJ
     3-20-12 Education Issues in the News
     GSCS State Budget FY 2012-2013 Testimony
     3-11-12 Education Issues in the News
     2-29-12 NJTV on NJ School Funding...and, Reporters' Roundtable back on the aire
     2-26-12 State budget, School Elections, and Federal Grant funds for local reform initiatives
     2-24-12 Headlines from around NJ - from Google (hit on nj education-nj budget)
     2-23-12 Education in the News - Education reform noted in state budget message; Facebook grant to Newark teachers
     2-23-12 State Aid Figures Released late today: GSCS Statement
     STATE AID DISTRICT LIST - PROPOSED for FY 2012-2013
     Education Funding Report on School Funding Reform Act (SFRA) issued 2-23-12
     Text of Gov. Christie's State Budget Message, given Feb. 21, 2012
     2-22-12 School Aid in State Budget Message - Is There a Devil in the Details
     2-21-12 State Budget Message for Fiscal Year 2012-2013
     FY'12 State School Aid District-by-District Listing, per Appropriations Act, released 110711
     GSCS Take on Governor's Budget Message for FY'12
     GSCS 3-7-11Testimony on State Budget as Proposed by the Governor for FY'12 before the Senate Budget Committee
     Gov's Budget Message for Fiscal Year 2011-2012 Today, 2pm
     GSCS FYI
     2-7-11Grassroots at Work in the Suburbs
     1-13-11 Supreme Court Appoints Special Master for remand Hearing
     1-20-11 GSCS Testimony before Senator Buono's Education Aid Impact hearing in Edison
     NOTE: FOR CURRENT INFO ON STATE BUDGET FY'11, GO TO LINK ON LEFT SIDEBAR '2010-2011 STATE BUDGET'
     GSCS FYI - GSCS will be testifying onTuesday in Bergen County on the State Budget
     3-17-10 Budget News - Gov. Chris Christie proposes sacrifices
     3-15-10mid-day: 'Gov. Christie plans to cut NJ school aid by $800M'
     3-14-10 'Christie will propose constitutional amendment to cap tax hikes in N.J. budget'
     3-15-10 'N.J. taxpayers owe pension fund $45.8 billion' The Record
     3-3-10 'Public Education in N.J.: Acting NJ Comm of Educ Bret Schundler says 'Opportunity'
     2-24-10 'Tight funds raise class sizes that districts long sought to cut'
     2-22-10 Christie and unions poised to do batttle over budget cuts'
     2-22-10 Trenton Active Today
     2-19-10 'Acting NJ education commissioner hoping other savings can ward off cuts'
     2-16-10 'Christie Adopts Corzine Cuts, Then Some'
     2-14-10 'FAQ's on NJ's state of fiscal emergency declaration by Gov. Christie'
     2-12-10 Assembly Budget hearing posted for this Wednesday, Feb. 17
     2-12-10 News Coverage: Governor Christie's message on actions to address current fiscal year state budget deficits
     FY2010 Budget Solutions - PRESS PACKET
     School Aid Withheld Spreadsheet
     State Aid 2010 Reserve Calculation and Appeal Procedures
     State Aid Memo (2-11-10) 2 pgs
     2-11-10 Gov Christie address to Joint Session of the Legislature on state budget and current year aid reduction remains scheduled for today
     2-10-10 'Schools are likely targets for NJ budget cuts'
     2-9-10 News article posted this morning notes potential for large loss of current year school aid
     2-8-10 'School leaders around N.J. wait and worry over state aid figures'
     1-28-10 School Surplus plan to supplant State Aid in this year gaining probability
     1-21-10'N.J.'s Christie won't rule out layoffs, furloughs to close unexpected $1.2B deficit'
     2005 Archive
     1-18-10 Advance news on 'Christie as new Governor'
     GSCS to speak at Tri-District 'Open' meeting in Monmouth on January 27
     12-15-09 GSCS is working with the Christie Transition Team
     11-29-09 Ramifications - News of NJ's fiscal realities
     Codey bill allows Budget Message to be delayed until March 16, 2010
     6-26-09 Executive Director to GSCS Trustees; Wrap Up Report - State Budget and Assembly bills this week
     6-26-09 NJ State Budget Passed late Thursday night
     6-19-09 a.m. GSCS 'Quick' FYI - State Budget Vote delayed to Thursday, June 25
     6-18-09 Deocrats say they have the votes to pass the State Budget today
     6-16-09 News from Trenton on State Budget in Senate and Assembly Budget Committees yesterday
     APPROPRIATIONS ACT FY2009-1020 as introduced
     A4100-S2010 Appropriations Act 'Scoresheet' and Language Changes released
     5-14-09 GSCS Heads Up - State Aid payments to be delayed into next Fiscal Year
     5-19-09 Treasurer David Rousseau announces additional round of cuts to Gov's proposed State Budget FY2009-2010
     4-5-09 The Record, Sunday April 5, Front Page Opinion
     Latest Title 1 'preliminary' funding under the ARRA 3-09
     Latest website filing by the USDOE on Title 1 funding
     3-13-09 Information to Districts re: Federal Stimulus- Additional Title 1 and IDEA funding information still not ready for distribution
     3-11-09 CORZINE BUDGET ADDRESS: STATE FUNDING FOR SCHOOLS A LITTLE MORE NOT LESS - FEDERAL TITLE 1 & IDEA INCREASES YET TO BE COUNTED - STATE SCHOOL AID FIGURES ON DEPT OF ED WEBSITE 1:30 TODAY - RELATED ARTICLES, MORE...
     3-10-09 GOVERNOR TO DELIVER STATE BUDGET MESSAGE TODAY - SCHOOL AID FIGURES TO BE RELEASED BY THURSDAY LATEST
     2-24-09 State Budget & Stimulus News of Note
     2-23-09 S-15 (Buono) Pension Deferral bill up for a vote in the Sentate today
     2-19-09 Federal stimulus - information re: Education funding in 'State Fiscal Stabilization' part of the package
     2-18-09 Corzine announces more cuts, more deficit
     NJ District listing, Title One & IDEA under federal stimulus law
     2-3-09 Corzine to unveil new cuts when he offers 2010 budget
     1-23-09 Schools get an eduction in thrift
     1-17-09 GSCS EMAILNET & SCHOOL FUNDING OVERVIEW
     1-16-09 Today's news notes state budget waiting on Obama stimulus package
     1-15-09 HEADS UP - Budget Message date to be delayed now to March 12
     1-14-09 Meeting with Mayors, Corzine warns of cuts
     1-9-09 State Senator requests education committee hearing on potential school funding cuts
     12-28-08 NY Times 'Pension Fight Signals What Lies Ahead'
     11-25-08 Perspective piece criticizes recent Supreme Court Abbott decision
     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
     A2800 - Proposed State Budget bill released 6-17-08
     6-17-08 Legislature and Governor agree on State Budget FY09
     GOVERNOR'S PROPOSED BUDGET Fiscal Year 2009...INFO
     Office of Leg Services Analysis of Gov's Education budget FY09
     GSCS & NJ Spec. Educ.Funding Coalition on STATE FUNDING FOR EXTRAORDINARY COST FY09 issues & beyond
     6-9-08 GSCS Quick Facts: TRENTON FOCUS THIS WEEK
     3-19-08 GSCS Testimony on State Budget for Fiscal Year 2008-2009
     2-26-08 Governor Corzine's Budget Message for Fiscal Year 2008-2009
     6-29-07 Lots of news affecting NJ, its schools and communities this week - STATE BUDGET signed - LIST OF LINE ITEM VETOES - US SUPREME CT RULING impacts school desgregation - SPECIAL EDUCATION GROUPS file suit against state
     6-14-07 Revisions to State Budget filed today
     4-4-07 N Y Times, front page 'NJ Pension Fund Endangered by Diverted Billions'
     3-15-07 State eases at risk aid restrictions & 25% members of NJ Senate retiring (so far)
     3-13-07 GSCS Testimony on State Budget FY'08
     GRASSROOTS SPEAK UP re State Aid for FY07-08 & Recent Legislation that can negatively impact school communities
     Hearings Schedule for State Budget FY07-08
     3-1-07 Emerging Devil showing up in the details
     2-27-07 GSCS welcomes that state aid increases for regular operating districts helps lower & some middle income districts - will persevere to see that the state extends its share of support to education more fully to all districts
     2-23-07 News Articles re Gov's Budget Proposal
     2-22-07 GSCS EMAILNET re Gov's Budget Message
     2-22-07 Gov's Budget Message Link & Related News Articles
     2-22-07 GSCS Press Release: Governor Corzine's Budget Message today
     2-22-07 Governor Corzine's Budget Message today
     2-16 to 2-19 New Articles of Note
     2-14-07 GSCS letter to Gov Corzine & Commr of Education Davy - Request for State Aid FY0708
     NJ Assembly Session FY06 Budget Debate Majority Leader Joe Roberts standing
     7-12-06 Column on State Budget legislator items
     7-11-06 Appropriations Act bill
     7-9&10-06 State Budget news articles -wrap up & news analyses
     7-9-06 Sunday New York Times
     7-8-06 FY07 Budget approved - 19.5 in spec ed grants stays in
     7-7-06 Afternoon Friday - budget document awaiting
     7-7-06 EMAILNET - AGREEMENT ON STATE BUDGET REACHED, impt 'details' still being finalized
     7-7-06 AGREEMENT ON STAE BUDGET REACHED, impt 'details' still being finalized
     7-3-06 Roberts, Codey & Corzine still not on same page
     6-30-06 State Budget news - as the dissonance must be resolved
     6-29-06 GSCS 'QUICKNET FYI' Update on State Budget for FY 2007
     6-29-06 Mirroring the elements, State Budget looking like a 'natural disaster'
     6-25-06 State Budget issues:legislative branches conflict - news articles
     6-14-06 Assembly Minority Budget Leader Joe Malone's Op Ed
     Editorial on benefit of using UEZ surplus for spec educ aid for this year
     6-12-06 EMAILNET - Extraordinary Special Education student aid; FY07 Budget 'crunch' is on; news clips
     Weekend News Clips re Property Tax & School Funding issues
     GSCS 15th Annual Breakfast Meeting Program Info Update
     5-16-06 EMAILNET Action in Trenton
     5-10-06 EMAILNET
     5-10-06 A Lot is going on - Major News fromTrenton
     5-9-06 Supreme Ct freezes aid & Asm Budget Comm grills DOE Commissioner
     News articles
     TRENTON RALLY PROPOSED (late morning) Thurs JUNE 8
     3-28-06 GSCS testimony before Assembly Budget Comm today
     Legislative Calendar during State Budget FY07 process
     4-17-06 EMAILNET
     4-16-06 Star Ledger editorial & article re Gov v. Abbott from 4-15-06
     40-16-06 Gannett & Asbury Park Press on School Budget election issues
     4-16-06 Sunday NY Times Metro Section, front page
     Governor Corzine takes steps towards major policy initiatives.
     3-28 & 4-3-06 GSCS FY07 testimony before Senate & Assembly Budget Comm
     Grassroots at work - Ridgewood Board member testimony of FY07
     4-8-06 Corzine Administration files brief with Supreme Court re Abbott funding
     4-7-06 The Record
     3-31-06 AP 'Budget idea puts onus on income taxes, businesses'
     3-29-06 EMAILNET State Budget FY07 Hearings Update
     3-24-06 EMAILNET FYI Update on Gov Corzine's Budget FY07
     3-24-06 Schools learn who wins, loses in Corzine budget
     3-23-06 Corzine says some Abbotts can raise taxes
     3-22-06 News Article sampling on Governor's Proposed FY07 Budget
     3-22-06 EMAILNET Governor Corzine's Budget Message
     Governor's 3-21-06 Budget message & hard copy links
     3-15-06 News articles on FY07
     3-10-06 Star Ledger 'Time is ripe for poorer districts to contribute.
     EMAILNET 3-9-06 to South Jersey districts
     3-7-06 More articles on the Gov's Budget Summit and School Board members fo to Trenton
     3-7-06 Articles on Gov's Budget Summit and School Board members off to Trenton
     3-4-06 Star Ledger Interest groups to address budget
     3- 4-06 Trenton Times Likey state aid cuts frustrating districts
     3-3-06 EMAILNET Budget Discussions begin in earnest
     7-14-05 EMAILNET Record article & today's editorial re politics & inequity in school aid and S1701: Update
     Check it out - The Press of Atlantic City 7-6-05 Education Funds lie in Budget Fine Print
     3-1-06 EMAILNET State Budget FY07, Health Benefits
     2-24-06 Trenton Times - Higher schools taxes needed
     School Budget Guidelines released 2-21-07
     2-11-06 Trenton Timesn'NJ State Budget has little wiggle room'
     2-1-06 EMAILNET GSCS Advocacy FY07 Budget; On the Homepage Today
     FUNDING HISTORY - May 27 1998 - Education Week article re Abbott V - funding above parity
     2003 GSCS letter to legislators
     Star Ledger 6-29-05 Bid to Save Tax Rebates Imperils NJ Budget
     Rebate Debate on Budget for FY06
     Public Information available at New Jersey website
     S2558 Bill to provide $19.9M in Abbott aid to additional districts
     GSCS Advocacy for State Budget FY06
     GSCS Testimony: State Budget Fiscal Year 2006
1-16-09 Today's news notes state budget waiting on Obama stimulus package
Philadelphia Inquirer, Fri, Jan. 16, 2009 'Preschool plan in peril, Corzine says - An effort to aid low-income children may be delayed because of a looming state budget shortfall'..."A looming state budget shortfall could delay New Jersey's plans to expand preschool for low-income children unless the Obama administration provides financial aid..."

N.J. to wait for fed report before budget is presented Friday, January 16, 2009, NorthJersey.com "..He is also hoping to get funds from Congress for the fiscal 2010 spending plan and wants to hold off on presenting a budget — and some expected new cuts — until after the state learns just how much federal money is coming..."

 

Posted on Fri, Jan. 16, 2009

Preschool plan in peril, Corzine saysAn effort to aid low-income children may be delayed because of a looming state budget shortfall, he said.

By Jonathan Tamari

Inquirer Trenton Bureau

A looming state budget shortfall could delay New Jersey's plans to expand preschool for low-income children unless the Obama administration provides financial aid, Gov. Corzine said yesterday.

> In a meeting with The Inquirer's editorial board, Corzine also said that he expected to see "real action" soon among schools to share services, and that he hoped to avoid tax increases to make up the latest budget gap. But he left the door open for a future gas-tax increase to pay for transportation needs.

> While Corzine cautioned that he was still working on his budget plans, the interview provided a glimpse into the governor's thinking as he prepares to introduce a budget that he expects will be roughly $3 billion, or 9 percent, smaller than the one he signed last year. He faces plummeting revenues because of the national financial crisis.

> "We have to do something to demonstrate clearly to the public that we are serious about resizing, reshaping, re-forming government," Corzine said. "We're going to have to pick some things that we can't do."

> The preschool plan, which would have required preschool for all low-income New Jersey children within five years, was part of the education proposal Corzine signed in early 2008.

> Corzine said he might have to "step back" from the plan, unless preschool funding is part of an Obama financial package.

> "Otherwise, I think we'll have to defer," he said.

> Districts this year are scheduled to begin the first step in a five-year process of providing preschool to an additional 30,000 low-income children.

> Corzine, who is scheduled to introduce a new budget in March, also hinted that he would look to shrink government. Last year he axed two departments, although a third proposed cut, the Department of Agriculture, elicited fierce protests.

> "Some of the consolidations of departments might look more reasonable today in a budget speech than they did a year ago when people didn't feel quite so under the gun," Corzine said.

> He said that the financial crisis also was pushing local governments to consider service-sharing or consolidation, and that he expected action in this area within the next three months, particularly when it came to schools. School costs make up the largest portion of property-tax bills.

> One likely target could be districts that do not operate any schools and send their students to other towns. When Corzine signed a series of 2007 property-tax changes, new county school officials were charged with eyeing these districts for savings.

> "That will be the first area of focus for sure," said Assembly Speaker Joseph J. Roberts (D., Camden), an advocate for the county controls on school spending. "They'll be front and center for consolidation."

> Corzine said he was trying "very hard" to avoid tax increases this year. He has not raised taxes since 2006.

> "We've got a really heavy burden on our people, and putting on additional burdens is not a good idea," he said.

> Asked specifically about a gas-tax hike, Corzine said it would be "very damaging" to drivers' psyches.

> "I'm going to try to avoid it," Corzine said. "But it doesn't mean in the long run that we're not going to have to have a gas tax to fix our infrastructure."

> Corzine reiterated that he wanted to freeze or reduce wages for state employees, who are due a 3.5 percent raise this year under their contract. Corzine said that without a concession, there would have to be layoffs or furloughs.

> Hetty Rosenstein, New Jersey area director for the Communications Workers of America, said Corzine should target the wealthy - people earning more than $250,000 a year - before middle-class workers.

> State workers' raises, she said, would go directly back into spending on essentials and help stimulate the economy.

> "If they get a small raise, that raise is going directly to the grocery store with them," she said.

>Contact staff writer Jonathan Tamari at 609-989-9016 or jtamari@phillynews.com.

> 

 

 

 

N.J. to wait for fed report before budget is presented

Friday, January 16, 2009

BY JOHN REITMEYER

NorthJersey.com

TRENTON BUREAU

Governor Corzine's plan to delay introduction of the next state budget is moving forward, but one part of his strategy to handle this year's $2.1 billion budget hole stalled on Thursday.

The state Assembly Budget Committee voted to allow Corzine to introduce the fiscal 2010 spending plan in March this year even though state law requires the budget to be presented by the end of February.

Democrats on the committee — who hold the majority — voted in favor of the delay, while Republicans opposed it.

"I just think it's worth it," said committee Chairman Lou Greenwald, D-Camden. "This is one of those areas where people make partisan points and we just need to get beyond that."

Corzine is seeking the delay to find out how much federal money could be allocated for New Jersey's budget woes when Congress assembles another federal stimulus package in a process scheduled for next month.

Earlier this month, the governor said New Jersey is facing a $2.1 billion budget hole in the current fiscal year, which runs through June, and an up to $5 billion deficit by the time the next fiscal year begins in July.

Part of Corzine's plan to deal with the immediate deficit includes receiving about $300 million in federal money. He is also hoping to get funds from Congress for the fiscal 2010 spending plan and wants to hold off on presenting a budget — and some expected new cuts — until after the state learns just how much federal money is coming.

"This is about research," said Assemblyman Joe Cryan, D-Union. "This is about priorities."

But Assemblyman Joe Malone, R-Burlington, said the delay sends a message to the public that the state is unprepared.

"I think holding this off isn't going to serve any purpose," said Malone, the top Republican on the panel.

The committee, meanwhile, shelved a vote on another measure Corzine is seeking as part of his plan to close that $2.1 billion deficit.

Legislators said they had technical questions about the bill, which would enact the legislative component of a round of $812 million in midyear spending cuts the governor is seeking. Greenwald said it would be posted at a future meeting once their questions are answered.

"Budget cuts are necessary for the state right now because we're taking in less money than we had thought we would take in," said committee Vice Chairman Gary Schaer, D-Passaic.

"What many people don't understand with budgets — budgets from governments certainly — is that they're based upon projections."

E-mail: reitmeyer@northjersey.com