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NJ Spotlight--78 Days and Counting in Governor’s 100-Day School-Funding Challenge
Christie offered legislators a 100-day window to remake the school-funding formula with him, but so far there have been few takers
On the last day of February, Gov. Chris Christie offered the Legislature in his state budget address a 100-day window to negotiate a new way to fund public education.
It was a long shot, given Christie’s dwindling political capital, but the governor isn’t one to let go easily of an issue he has considered for the past seven years.
Yet 22 days later the governor has yet to meet with legislative leaders, and there is little enthusiasm building for what he has to offer.
To be fair, there has been some effort at outreach. A meeting was scheduled last Wednesday between Christie and Senate and Assembly leaders from both parties, including Senate President Steve Sweeney and Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto.
But it was cancelled in the aftermath of the snowstorm, with a new date not yet set. Christie said he remained hopeful, putting the blame on the scheduling conflicts.
http://www.njspotlight.com/stories/17/03/21/78-days-and-counting-in-governor-s-100-day-school-funding-challenge/
John Mooney | March 22, 2017
NJ Spotlight--Parents, Educators Give Budget Committee an Earful on School Funding
As they begin deliberations on the state’s budget, lawmakers learn just how hot an issue school funding is for many in New Jersey
Parents, educators and school administrators came out in force for the first public hearing of the Senate Budget Committee yesterday — and placed the focus firmly on school funding, or the inadequacy thereof in New Jersey.
Jill DiMaio, said that “flat funding for the past seven years” has hurt her school district, Monroe Township, Middlesex County and she wants funding to be increased. She was followed by a stream of advocates, each outlining funding difficulties.
“Something needs to be done for our district and done quickly. I don’t know how we’re going to survive much longer,” said Ridgefield Park School District Superintendent Eric Koenig.
NJTV News Online | March 22, 2017
Star Ledger--Christie responds to NJEA president’s editorial
TRENTON -- Gov. Chris Christie attacked a familiar foe on Tuesday, saying an op-ed penned by the president of the state's largest teachers' union was a "delight" to read -- and then burn.
The governor lashed out at New Jersey Education Association's Wendell Steinhaur after the group's president said the state should wait for the next governor before tooling with New Jersey's school funding formula.
Matt Arco | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com| March 21, 2017 at 7:15 PM, updated March 21, 2017 at 8:16 PM
Star Ledger--Should N.J. spend more on education? This poll says yes
TRENTON -- A majority of New Jersey voters think the state should spend more on education, including additional state funds for districts in low-income areas, according to a new poll.
Of 1,098 New Jersey voters polled, 63 percent said the state should spend more to improve all public schools, compared to 34 percent who did not, a Quinnipiac University poll found.
Meanwhile, 65 percent said the state should spend more to improve public schools in the poorest areas; 32 percent disagreed.
Adam Clark | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com| March 22, 2017 at 7:10 AM
Star Ledger--Christie's budget wipes out security aid for N.J. parochial schools
TRENTON -- Last fall, Gov. Chris Christie said parents who send their children to a parochial or private school should have no reason to be concerned about their safety.
"The safety of children, no matter where they go to school, is the responsibility of government," Christie said as he signed a law that established parameters for public dollars to flow to private schools for security improvements.
Six months later, Christie's 2018 budget proposal adds no new funding for private school security aid. Instead, it wipes out the $7.5 million in state security aid -- $50 per student -- that private schools already shared before the law was passed.
The about-face is disconcerting for parochial schools, especially considering the repeated threats to New Jersey's Jewish institutions in recent weeks, said Assemblyman Gary Schaer (D-Passaic), who led the legislative push for private school security aid.
Adam Clark | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com| March 21, 2017 at 10:46 AM, updated March 21, 2017 at 11:37 AM
Associated Press (via Philadelphia Inquirer)-- Survey finds exchange students think US high schools easier
WASHINGTON (AP) - Easier classes, less homework and lots of sports - this is how American high schools are viewed by students from other countries studying in the U.S.
Despite a push in recent years to make the U.S. education system more competitive and effective, foreign exchange students continue to view American high school experience as much less stimulating, according to a study published Wednesday.
"You get this feeling - the kids from abroad come here, they spend a year, they think that school is easier here," said Tom Loveless, a fellow with the Brown Center on Education Policy with the Brookings Institutions. "We think we have made great strides in making our schools more challenging, here is at least one outside group that is in fact saying they are not terribly challenging."
http://www.philly.com/philly/education/20170322_ap_a24e37c7b8724963a00bb9a3a81b0933.html
MARIA DANILOVA, The Associated Press| Updated: March 22, 2017 — 3:01 AM EDT
Education Week--ESSA Rules' Rollback Complicates States' Planningedit
Obama-era regulations sent packing by Congress
Congressional Republicans and President Donald Trump's administration recently put their own stamp on the Every Student Succeeds Actt by dismantling key elements of the previous administration's work.
State school leaders say the moves won't significantly influence their approach to the law, but advocacy groups will be watching closely to see how the new, more flexible policy environment affects decisions about underperforming schools and disadvantaged students.
http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2017/03/22/essa-rules-rollback-complicates-states-planning.html
By Andrew Ujifusa| March 20, 2017
