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Costs at merged schools similar Data: Savings would be little
editorial excerpt – …The state's health plan must be overhauled in order to trim costs and provide more flexibility.
Voters to Decide $329.5 million in School Construction Projects on Tuesday
School bus costs bleed Parsippany District faces additional $900,000 gap
Bridgewater officials urge investment in education
Costs at merged schools similar
Data: Savings would be little
Posted by the Asbury Park Press on 09/25/06
BY JONATHAN TAMARI
TRENTON — Maryland's model for public schools, held up by some Garden State lawmakers as a cheaper alternative to New Jersey's fragmented system, may not offer the kind of savings originally thought, two sets of federal statistics suggest.
The figures, from the federal Department of Education and the U.S. Census Bureau, show that
The statistics challenge earlier evidence that seemed to indicate that
"Citizens need to know various options, but it really has to be accurate data. Unfortunately, in public discourse sometimes things get misinterpreted, and I think that's what happened," Belluscio said.
School funding is one of the key areas of focus for lawmakers seeking ways to rein in
Belluscio said figures from the federal Department of Education show that a county-based school system doesn't necessarily save money. A July 2006 report from the federal department's National Center of Education Statistics shows
"The best source for comparison is the federal Department of Education. They remove all the variables, and they have a consistent interpretation and a consistent definition," Belluscio said.
Census Bureau figures for the 2003-2004 school year, while different from the ones kept by the federal department, paint a similar picture: the data show
State Sen. Robert G. Smith, D-Middlesex, an advocate for county-based schools, said there was confusion at an earlier hearing he chaired that appeared to show that
Despite the mix-up, Smith said a revised comparison shows
"Instead of having 618 bureaucracies manage the entire system you would have 21 (county-based) bureaucracies, and that's where the savings come from," said Smith, co-chairman of a legislative panel examining government consolidation.
The superintendent expenses comprise a portion of overall administrative costs.
Because it spends more than
The federal DOE figures show
Belluscio said it is unlikely that combining school districts would save money. Smith plans to bring in private companies to analyze the efficiency of combining school districts and municipalities.
The Census Bureau's analysis of administrative spending reflects the different school systems, however.
Jonathan Tamari:
jtamari@gannett.com
How we can tame tax hikes and pay for education
Thursday, September 21, 2006
States all over the country are searching for new ways to distribute the support they provide for public schools. This is designed to meet two objectives:
1) to ensure that education funding is linked to and consistent with education accountability, a component of standards-based reform.
2) to provide property tax relief since, among all taxes, property taxes are probably the most disliked by taxpayers.
Standards-based reform is the decade-old approach states are using to improve schools. Under the approach, the state role has changed from providing specific education programs and services to setting education standards, measuring how well students are doing, and holding school districts accountable for student performance (the federal No Child Left Behind Act uses this same approach but allows each state to define its own performance goals).
Some states are now trying to estimate the costs that school districts face in meeting standards rather than simply allowing available revenues to be the primary factor in determining state aid.
Property tax relief has been a goal of many states ever since the passage of Proposition 13 in
A later suit, Abbott v. Burke, only affected a specific group of high need, "Abbott" school districts. As a result of this litigation, the state now uses what amounts to two different approaches to fund schools – one for the Abbott school districts (which represent 5 percent of all districts in the state) and one for all other districts.
A single approach
Since
At the same time that the state is building a uniform way of appraising need and linking school finance and school accountability, it should address existing inequities associated with property taxes.
While New Jersey's property taxes are certainly high, the state does not rely to an unusual extent on property taxes to support schools -- in New Jersey, about 52 percent of all revenue for school districts comes from local sources, most of which is derived from property taxes – the national average was 43.6 percent in 2003-04. Nine states, including
In modifying the state aid system, it is important to keep in mind the following:
·
· Many of the districts do not serve all grades (that is, kindergarten through Grade 12).
· Districts differ in enrollment and cost of living.
· There are significant differences in both wealth (based on either property valuation or personal income) and in the needs of districts (particularly in relation to the proportion of children coming from low-income families).
While no other state's school finance system can serve as a complete model for
In 2002
The new system specifies a base cost designed to reflect the cost of services needed for every student to become academically proficient. It also adjusts the base cost for students with special needs.
In fact,
The use of such a weighted funding system allows districts – not the state – to decide how funds should be used to serve students. Districts are then held accountable for student performance.
The system has been successfully implemented over several years – and "
Another state that
This can address some of the inequities of local property taxes that previously produced widely varying tax rates across school districts. It is not, however, a perfect solution, and can raise a variety of questions such as whether sales taxes are more "fair" than property taxes in terms of their impact on families of different income levels.
Circuit breakers
There are also other tools, such as "circuit breakers" and homestead exemptions, which some states have developed to reduce the impact of property taxes on low-income families.
Under a circuit breaker, such as the one used in
As it decides how to change its school funding system,
Any change will create political issues and is likely to require judicial review. But other states have shown that the job can be done if there is legislative and public will to do so.
John Augenblick is president of Augenblick, Palaich and Associates, Inc., a Denver-based consulting firm that works with states to evaluate and develop their school finance systems.
Herald News editorial 9-22-06, excerpt –
…The state's health plan must be overhauled in order to trim costs and provide more flexibility. In many cases, public employees should contribute more toward their health insurance costs, in keeping with what workers in the private sector pay. The State Health Benefits Commission took a step in that direction earlier this month when they voted to raise the co-pays for some 200,000 municipal employees, teachers and retirees for prescriptions and doctor visits. The move is expected to save taxpayers an estimated $32 million a year…
NJ School Boards Assoc: NEWS RELEASE
Voters to Decide $329.5 million in School Construction Projects on Tuesday
Under the Educational Facilities Construction and Financing Act of 2000, school districts have been receiving state funding through up-front grants, which dried up last year, or annual installments of state debt service aid to help pay for a portion of the costs. The state funding, in either form, equals a minimum of 40% of state-determined eligible costs per project.
Approvals on Upswing In 2005, voters approved 58.9% of the 89 school building proposals on the ballot, authorizing a total of $1.083 billion in construction spending. The results reflect a drop from the 2004 voter approval rate of 67.6%. The decrease was due largely to a high rate of rejections in the September and December bond elections when the state grants to underwrite part of school construction costs came to a halt.
In the three elections that have taken place so far in 2006 (January, March and April), 20 school districts proposed construction projects. Voters approved 70% of the plans, authorizing a total of more than $125 million in construction spending.
Debt Service Aid In Tuesday’s election, four of the 17 proposals had received earlier state authorization for up-front grants while that program was still in operation. The grants, if they become available again, would reduce the size of the bond issues needed to fund the construction projects in these districts. If the state grant program is not replenished by the time the four districts secure their construction financing, they would bond the full amount of the approved projects and receive their state funding through annual debt service aid.
Proposed projects in 12 other school districts would also qualify for state funding through debt service aid. For the 2006-2007 state budget, Governor Corzine recommended sufficient funding to cover the authorized amounts of debt service aid.
A 2001 state law limits school bond elections to five dates within a school year: the fourth Tuesday in January; the second Tuesday in March; the third Tuesday in April (also the date of the annual school board and budget elections), the last Tuesday in September or the second Tuesday in December. The next bond election date will be December 12.
Construction proposals on the September 26 ballot follow.
Tuesday, September 26, 2006
STATEWIDE
Total project cost: $329,541,279
BERGEN COUNTY
Leonia
Purchase property adjacent to high school campus and early childhood center for school facilities project identified in district’s long-range plan
Total project cost - $699,000
CAMDEN COUNTY
Black Horse Pike Regional
Renovations, and/or additions to three high schools
Total project cost - $61,170,344
Replacement of roofs at one elementary school and two middle schools
Total project cost - $7,806,645
ESSEX COUNTY
Millburn
Additions and renovations to high school and middle school
Total project cost - $21,302,000
Renovations and additions to elementary school
Total project cost - $1,359,529
HUNTERDON COUNTY
Milford Borough
Renovations to elementary school
Total project cost - $3,175,000
Structural repairs at elementary school
Total project cost - $542,306
MONMOUTH COUNTY
Manasquan Borough
Improvements to the high school athletic fields and facilities, including land acquisition
Total project cost $4,980,000
Oceanport
Renovations of middle school and elementary school
Total project cost - $2,135,500
Shore Regional
Renovations and improvements to high school, athletic facilities and fields
Total project cost - $49,797,221
MORRIS COUNTY
Kinnelon
Addition and renovations to high school
Total project cost - $12,654,095
Proposal #1
Addition and renovation to high school, middle school and three elementary schools
Total project cost - $29,950,000
Proposal #2 (subject to approval of Proposal #1)
Additional renovations and/or further additions at high school and three elementary schools
Total project cost - $8,400,000
Renovations to elementary school
Total project cost – 1,666,369
Little
Proposal #1
Construction of a new elementary school and renovations and improvements to an existing elementary school and a middle school
Total project cost - $23,406,937
Proposal #2 (subject to approval of Proposal #1)
Additional renovations and improvements at intermediate and elementary school
Total project cost - $12,162,886
Renovations at two elementary schools
Total project cost - $8,100,503 (49.7% qualifies for state debt service aid)
Proposal #1
Additions and renovations to high school
Total project cost - $71,513,519
Proposal #2 (subject to approval of Proposal #1) Installation of artificial turf, bleachers and press box at high school athletic fields Total project cost - $2,496,575
Renovations to high school and two elementary schools
Total project cost - $6,222,850
********
The New Jersey School Boards Association, a federation of district boards of education, advocates the interests of school districts, trains local school board members, and provides resources for the advancement of public education.
School bus costs bleed Parsippany
District faces additional $900,000 gap
Tuesday, September 19, 2006
BY AL FRANK
Star-Ledger Staff
Parsippany public schools are facing some major belt tightening after a gaping $900,000 hole opened in the district's budget when busing costs jumped more than 18 percent.
The economizing would be on top of what the board of education already imposed after the township council ordered $500,000 cut when voters rejected the $113 million budget in April.
Included in that round was the elimination of transportation for 1,000 middle and high school stu dents who live closer to their schools than the distance the state sets for mandatory busing.
The step was supposed to have saved $225,000, but the sole bid instead came in $900,000 higher than the $4.9 million budgeted for busing this school year.
"It wiped out every savings we hoped for," said Marlene Wendo lowski, district business administrator. "Now, I have to find another $900,000."
"This was completely unexpected," board President Robert Perlett said. "I don't really know where the money is going to come from because we're already operat ing on a tight budget here."
He said the financial quandary lays to rest any possibility that some of the so-called "courtesy" routes might be restored.
Although parents of some 51 Brooklawn Middle School students from the Glacier Hills neighborhood have been the most vocal in complaining of the lost service, Perlett said fairness would have re quired any restoration to include all sixth- through eighth-graders who also live about 1.5 miles from the middle school. He said that would cost between $400,000 and $600,000.
"This is what we've been telling the parents from Glacier Hills," he said. "If the money was there, we would have had routes to begin with, or restore the routes. But the money is not there."
Even so, for next year, Perlett wants a committee to evaluate routes to school and come up with criteria on what determines a particular stretch is hazardous and in need of busing. Up to now, the district has made such judgments on a subjective basis, he said.
On Thursday, he plans to name an ad hoc transportation commit tee made up of parents and members of the board and township council.
Meanwhile, it will be up to the board's finance committee to deal with the $900,000 deficit. In the interim, word has gone out to the district's 14 schools to hold the line.
"Informally, administrators throughout the district have been told to hold back on spending and think in terms of where they could cut back," he said.
Some of the cost may be offset by state aid earmarked for transporting special education students and by canceling discretionary travel and conferences, which could save about $35,000. More sav ings might be produced by dialing down thermostats, Perlett said.
The board might also draw on some of its $2.4 million surplus, but auditors have already ruled it the minimum for the 7,100-student district.
"If we had to go into surplus, we would have to," Perlett said. "But that would be taking surplus down dangerously low, and if something else untoward came along, we wouldn't have the money for that."
The new routes were not finalized until after the middle of July and while the board had solicited quotes from eight companies, Kevah Konner of
Although 15 routes were cut, Kevah Konner's quotes came in 40 to 114 percent higher, Wendolowski said.
"We asked how, for some of the routes to some of the same buildings, they could have an 80 percent increase and they said they had to make up for gas prices and lost profit" from the year before, she said.
The bargaining could not have come at a worse time.
As the district was seeking quotes, the price of oil hit $77 per barrel, sending gasoline and diesel fuel prices to their highest point all year, according to Energy Department data. As of yesterday, oil prices had declined by 18 percent.
Kevah Konner did not return calls for comment.
Al Frank covers Parsippany. He may be reached at afrank@starled ger.com or (973) 539-7910.
By KARA L. RICHARDSON
Staff Writer
The news conference was called while the New Jersey Legislature is in special session to discuss property taxes.
"People tend to blame schools for property tax problems," said Steve Baker, a spokesman for the New Jersey Education Association, the statewide teachers union
Baker urged the lawmakers to change the formula by which schools are funded -- so school budgets aren't slashed as an attempt to calm the tax burden.
The news conference highlighted a New Jersey Citizen Action report which asks the public and lawmakers to support an educational system where all students may succeed. Mike Olender, a spokesman for the citizen watchdog coalition, said the report encourages universal early childhood care and education; access to afterschool programs; quality K-12 schooling which would prepare students for college; and affordable higher education.
The study was based on a New Jersey Citizen Action poll last summer, which found the majority of swing voters -- people who don't vote along party lines -- support rolling back tax cuts to the wealthy to finance investments in public education, Olender said.
Olender invited New Jersey Education Association Vice President Barbara Keshishian, Garden State Coalition of Schools Executive Director Lynne Strickland, Bridgewater-Raritan Education Association president and teacher Steven Beatty and
Bridgewater-Raritan Regional Superintendent Walter Mahler, Bridgewater-Raritan's Board Secretary Peter Starrs, the
Mahler said Bridgewater-Raritan Schools fare well on test scores but it struggles with budgeting.
"We passed our last two budgets -- after three failed," Mahler said. The district's board of education is considering asking voters for $16 million to expand the school and renovate the middle school.
"If we don't add the space, the students are still coming," Mahler said.
· Kara L. Richardson can be reached at (908) 707-3186 or krichard@c-n.com.
