Joint Legislative Committee on Public School Funding Reform

ADLER, CONAWAY CALL FOR FAIR FINANCING MODEL,
TRANSPARENCY TO CREATE PROPERTY TAX SAVINGS
School Reform Committee Co-Chairs Propose End to Divisive 'Abbott' Label,
Enhanced Protections Against Wasteful Spending

(TRENTON) – The co-chairmen of the Joint Legislative Committee on Public School Funding Reform released their recommendations today, calling for an entirely new system for financing public schools, enhanced protections against wasteful administrative spending, and greater authority for state officials to intervene in troubled schools to lessen local districts' over-reliance on property taxes to fund public education."This proposal gives taxpayers the long-term hope they have been looking for and gives children the best chance to receive a high quality education," said Senator John Adler (D-Cherry Hill). "Our plan fulfills our constitutional obligation to all children and avoids shortchanging districts that have gone without relief for too long."

"These recommendations will help provide the high-quality education that New Jersey's children deserve while instituting reforms that property taxpayers expect," said Assemblyman Herb Conaway, M.D. (D-Burlington), the panel's Assembly co-chair. "New Jersey's school funding plan has been a failure for property taxpayers, school districts, and students alike. From the outset, our goal was to re-inject basic principles of property tax fairness and equity for all students into public education."

In total, the co-chairs proposed 28 reforms, chief among them:

* Enactment of a new public school funding formula based on student need, rather than geographic location;

*Giving equal weight to a community's property value and per capita income in aid calculations to ensure that state education aid properly reflects its ability to pay;

* Eliminating the divisive "Abbott" designation while including a "hold harmless�"provision to ensure that no district's ability to meet student needs is compromised;

* Enhancing the authority of the Commissioner of Education to oversee school spending and to intercede in a district at the first sign of trouble;

* Further clamping down on wasteful administrative spending by adopting various recommendations from the State Commission of Investigation’s March 2006 report;

* Moving school board member elections to the November General Election ballot; and

* Eliminating the annual April vote on school budgets for districts whose spending plans fall below statutory limits.

Adler and Conaway said that the recommendations would ensure the development of "a predictable and transparent school funding formula" that would meet student needs and pass constitutional muster. They added that the new formula, when coupled with proposed controls on taxing and spending behavior, would promote greater in-district efficiency and provide meaningful savings to local property taxpayers.

The joint committee was one of four bipartisan, bicameral panels created by the Legislature as part of the three-and-a-half-month-long special session on property tax reform. Since convening in August, the joint committee held nine hearings in Trenton to gain insight from state and national education experts, two public hearings to listen to comments from residents, and received more than 1,000 e-mail messages.

The co-chairs released their findings to Senate President Richard J. Codey and Assembly Speaker Joseph J. Roberts, Jr.

"This committee has followed a long and sometimes bumpy path, but we are smoothly arriving at our destination," said Conaway. "It is my hope that these recommendations can be put into effect in time for the next school year."

"Over the past few months, we have worked with experts to put together the framework for a fair funding formula," said Adler. "Now we must take the next step and make sure that funding formula meets the needs of children and taxpayers."

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FOR RELEASE:
November 15, 2006

CONTACT:
Senator Adler
Press Office
(609) 292-5215
Assemblyman Conaway
Press Office
(609) 292-7065