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Star Ledger editorial ‘Tax cap politics: Democrats rush a flawed plan’
Star Ledger Column ‘Gov. Chris Christie KOs Democrats in New Jersey budget bout’
Asbury Park Press ‘$28B proposed budget signals "new normal" for N.J.’
Star Ledger ‘Computer programs replace foreign language teachers in N.J. classrooms after budget cuts’
The Record ‘Local schools impose "pay-to-play" fees on student athletes’
Philadelphia Inquirer ‘NJ and Pa. officials react to loss expected federal aid”
Star Ledger Column ‘Gov. Chris Christie KOs Democrats in New Jersey budget bout’
Published: Sunday, June 27, 2010, 6:44 AM
Flash back a few months, to the days when Democrats in Trenton had their mojo intact. Party leaders were huffing and puffing about shutting down the state government unless the governor backed down and agreed to extend a surtax on millionaires.
“That is where we’re going to make our stand,” Senate President Steve Sweeney vowed. “To give up $1 billion to the wealthy during this crisis is just wrong.”
Today, Democrats are retreating in chaos. They stumble through the hallways of the capitol like a defeated army, complete with grousing about their generals.
“We have not found our footing,” said Sen. Loretta Weinberg. “I think a lot of people underestimated Chris Christie.”
That’s the polite version. Promise anonymity, and it gets much worse.
“We’re getting murdered,” says one member of the leadership team. “We’re losing the public debate and we know that. He’s beating us and dividing us. He won’t forever. But he sure is now.”
Mark this as a defining moment for the governor. Round 1 is over, and he won it in a knockout. In the end, Democrats were able to win only a few shifts that amount to less than 1 percent of the total budget. The rest is all Christie.
“We’re not happy,” says Assembly Speaker Sheila Oliver. “But it is what it is.”
And here’s the really bad news for Democrats: It could get worse.
Because now the fight turns to the governor’s plan to put a 2.5 percent constitutional cap on the growth in property taxes. And it looks like Democrats may be preparing to walk straight into another one of the governor’s round-house punches.
Understand first that this fight is much more important than the annual budget tussle. The budget gap will return next year in force. And he closed about half of the $11 billion gap this year by relying on old-school Trenton budget moves — cancelling payments to the pension fund and sharply reducing property tax rebates.
The constitutional cap is something new and different. It would force towns and schools to scale back salaries and benefits of their unionized workforces. It would create permanent change. It would attack the problem that is driving everyone in this states nuts.
So who will win the all-important Round 2?
Here the plot thickens. Christie does not have the same weapons for this fight because he has no formal role in the process of amending the New Jersey Constitution. It is the Legislature that drafts amendments, and puts them directly to voters in a referendum.
The governor won the fight on the millionaire’s tax by using his veto power, but his signature isn’t needed this time. For this fight, he has only the power of persuasion. And his refusal to compromise with Democrats, along with his combative rhetoric, has left no love on the other side of the aisle.
“The constitutional cap is out,” says Speaker Oliver. “The governor will learn that he could have accomplished much more if his leadership style were different.”
Sweeney has ruled it out as well. And that pretty much kills it for this year, since committees in both houses would have to approve a constitutional cap within two weeks in order to make the November ballot.
And that brings us to Christie’s fallback plan. If Democrats refuse to budge, he will use this issue as a bludgeon during next year’s election.
“If we run on the cap, the public is overwhelmingly in favor of us,” says Republican Sen. Kevin O’Toole. “I know we’ll win that.”
Democrats insist they’re not worried, that people will sour on Christie when they see teachers and cops in their towns get laid off and when the cuts in local aid drive up their property taxes anyway.
But they are worried enough to offer their own cap, which is poised for a final vote tomorrow. It is a pale and weak substitute for Christie’s cap, though.
It is set at 2.9 percent, it would not be enshrined in the constitution, and it exempts the main cost-drivers, like pension and health costs.
Look for Christie to start pounding Democrats on this soon.
Round 2 is underway. And this time, no one is underestimating the new governor.
Star Ledger editorial ‘Tax cap politics: Democrats rush a flawed plan’
Published: Sunday, June 27, 2010, 5:56 AM
Democrats who are nervous about the governor’s plan to cap property taxes are trying to rush their own version into law during the final hours of the legislative session.
It’s a mistake, on both policy and politics. And it’s certain to backfire because the governor will have no trouble pointing out what a weak substitute this is.
This all started on Thursday, when Senate President Steve Sweeney introduced a bill that had been discussed only behind closed doors, and mostly with a select group of party leaders. After brief and vapid testimony on the merits, the obedient members of the budget committee fell into line and passed the measure. The next day, the Assembly budget committee approved it as well, leaving it poised for final passage tomorrow.
We deserve better government than this. Sweeney and Assembly Speaker Sheila Oliver had planned to discuss this issue at a special session this summer. They instead rushed this bill after the governor began gaining momentum by winning endorsements for his tougher cap from Democratic mayors. Panic set in after Newark Mayor Cory Booker stood with Christie and endorsed the key elements of his plan on Monday.
For those who were hoping the Legislature would give thoughtful consideration to the state’s central problem, we offer condolences. This was all politics.
And that’s a pity, because this is complex stuff and the two parties are offering very different plans that deserve scrutiny and public discussion.
The governor has proposed a constitutional amendment to cap the growth in property taxes at 2.5 percent. His model is Massachusetts, where a similar cap has worked well.
But the governor’s plan is different in one critical respect. He would allow voters to override the cap only if 60 percent approved, an undemocratic provision he hasn’t come close to justifying. Massachusetts relies on the quaint notion of majority rule.
Democrats want a softer cap of 2.9 percent, in the form of a law, not an amendment. They would weaken that by exempting the principle cost-drivers, like pension and health costs. And they would allow no voter override.
The Legislature’s job is to weigh these competing plans and draft a proposal that makes sense. Instead, they are pushing their hastily drafted plan and bypassing the governor’s for now. Even if they consider the governor’s plan this summer, it will be too late to put the question on the November ballot.
This is rank politics. Where do we go to find thoughtful leadership?
Asbury Park Press ‘$28B proposed budget signals "new normal" for N.J.’
TRENTON — A $28.3 billion state budget likely will pass the state Legislature Monday, and when it does, it will usher in a new reality for governments, schools and taxpayers in New Jersey.
Although some conservative Republicans say the budget does not cut spending enough, the final version, largely untouched since Gov. Chris Christie proposed it in March, will result in layoffs and early retirements for government workers, property tax hikes and service cuts.
And this is just the beginning, as other major issues, such as the underfunded pension system, remain pending.
"There's no painless mechanism of change, and significant change is needed," said James W.Hughes, who leads a public policy school at Rutgers University. "The structural deficit has grown so large, drastic action is needed, and the trade-off is that we will get short-term pain in terms of people losing their jobs and cutbacks in a whole range of programs."
In many ways, Hughes added, the state will never be the same: "This is the new normal."
With a budget deal struck, the only hurdle that may remain is to persuade one or two conservative Republican lawmakers to vote for the budget or find one more Democratic vote.
Democratic legislative leaders, who control both the state Senate and Assembly, had agreed to let the GOP take the lead on the budget while supplying just enough votes to get it passed and avoid a government shutdown.
Despite last-minute agreements to add money for welfare programs and to provide prescription drugs and health insurance to low-income seniors, many cutbacks stay in place.
School aid, without the help of federal stimulus funds, is down by nearly $1 billion. Aid to local municipalities is off $332 million. Aid to higher education was slashed by $173 million, which will likely send tuitions higher. Transit fares are already up.
Some 5,000 more state and local employees have so far filed for retirement this year than had filed in all of 2009. That includes 2,911 teachers and school staff.
A survey by the New Jersey School Boards Association showed that 93 percent of all school districts had planned layoffs this year, but final job loss numbers have not been compiled, a spokesman said.
The State Policeman's Benevolent Association says about 700 municipal police officers will be laid off this year, and that's in addition to 1,800 who are retiring. There are only 223 police academy graduates statewide to replace them, the PBA said.
At an Assembly Budget Committee meeting this week, Democratic Chairman Louis D. Greenwald, D-Camden, ticked off all the aid cuts and the elimination of tax credits. He said that despite Christie's rhetoric, the budget does increase taxes for residents.
"This is real life stuff, real life jobs," Greenwald said. "You want to call it a loss of benefit. You want to call it a fee. Call it what you want, it's a tax increase."
But Assemblyman Joseph R. Malone III, R-Burlington, Republican budget officer, said that with falling revenues, Christie's hands were tied. He said there will be significant political fallout, but Republicans did what was right.
"People may lose their careers for what they've had to do, but in the long run, history will be very kind," Malone said. "I was at the supermarket last night, and an elderly woman came up to me and said, "I want to thank you, and thank the governor, for having the courage for trying to straighten this mess out.' "
"If we, at this moment in time, don't have the courage, then shame one us," Malone added.
Still, after months of wrangling, significant issues remain to be decided:
The budget skips a $3 billion pension payment, which means the state pensions system, already underfunded by $46 billion, will fall further in the red. Christie and his administration have promised to propose bold pension reforms, setting up a potentially large battle later this year.
Christie continues to push his property-tax cap plan, which must be approved within weeks so that it may appear on the November ballot. If he gets that, he will have to convince voters that slowing property tax increases at 2.5 percent a year will work.
Education Commissioner Bret Schundler had sought major education reform that would change local schools and save money. But after Christie vetoed a compromise with the state's powerful teachers union over a federal grant application, the education proposals have remained under wraps.
David Rosen, budget officer for the nonpartisan Office of Legislative Services, noted that as things stand, many of the same budget issues will reappear next year.
"It's not clear which of the governor's budget solutions will address the structural deficit going forward," Rosen said.
Jason Method: 609-292-5158; jmethod@app.com
Star Ledger ‘Computer programs replace foreign language teachers in N.J. classrooms after budget cuts’
Published: Sunday, June 27, 2010, 7:00 AM Updated: Sunday, June 27, 2010, 7:04 AM
Jeanette Rundquist/The Star-Ledger
RIDGEWOOD — In Ridgewood last year, school officials faced a dilemma that has become familiar in districts across New Jersey: Where to cut the budget.
Looking to squeeze under the state spending cap, Ridgewood honed in on Spanish classes for children in grades 3-5. They introduced an interactive computer program in which students listen to lessons on headsets, using a computer mouse to answer questions and a microphone to practice words and phrases. A regular classroom teacher supervises.
"Having a (world language) teacher in the classroom is always the best. But in these times, we need to look to other ways to deliver what we do," said Superintendent Daniel Fishbein. He said Ridgewood saved just under $200,000 by cutting three Spanish teaching positions. He estimated the computer program, called Rosetta Stone, cost about $50,000.
Similar change is coming to schools across New Jersey this year as many districts, making cuts in the wake of an $820 million statewide school aid reduction, have targeted elementary foreign language programs.
The Randolph and Manalapan-Englishtown districts will begin using the same computer program in grade school. Mountain Lakes plans to eliminate world language for grades K-3 and "embed" world culture in other curriculums. North Plainfield cut elementary Spanish and is researching programs — tapes, CDs, DVDs — as a replacement.
The state Department of Education eased foreign language requirements in younger grades, but encouraged districts to provide "equivalent programs of foreign language instruction" after districts sought relief due to financial pressures, said deputy commissioner Willa Spicer. World language had earlier been recommended for "waiver or flexibility" by a "Red Tape Review" commission created by Gov. Chris Christie.
Spicer said hopes are that districts can return language programs "when the financial situation becomes more positive ... because it is clear students learn world languages better at younger ages."
More coverage:
• N.J. school districts provide resources for thousands of teachers facing layoffs
• Thousands of N.J. teachers get layoff notices as school budget deadlines loom
• Majority of N.J. school budgets rejected for the first time since 1976
Experts say learning a second language is increasingly important in the global economy, and research shows students learn best through "conversation with real people in real classrooms."
"By not fostering language study, we are shooting ourselves in the foot. If you cut K-8 programs now, those students will never be able to recoup the loss," said Donna Farina, president of Foreign Language Educators of New Jersey and a professor of multicultural education at New Jersey City University.
Mariluz Torres, an elementary Spanish teacher in North Plainfield, said even children whose families speak Spanish at home benefit from taking the class in school.
Other states are also wrestling with similar issues, but "software substitutions" are not an adequate replacement for "live interaction between a teacher and student," said spokesman Steve Ackley of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages said.
New Jersey requirements call for world language in elementary school, but do not specify how much time should be spent on it in grades K-8 or what instructional materials used.
Many school officials said existing elementary world language programs were well-intentioned, but could not offer enough time for children to really learn the language.
In the Manalapan-Englishtown Regional district, kids in grades 1-5 had one 40-minute Spanish class per week.
"People are very sad to see our teachers lose their jobs. But because there was such a limited amount of time children were spending learning Spanish, their acquisition of the language was not strong," said assistant superintendent Joanne Monroe. After buying Rosetta Stone and new computers, and cutting five teaching positions, they will save about $140,000 this year, she said.
Randolph will save about $90,000 a year with the program, said Superintendent Owen Snyder. Grade school students there had 30 minutes per week with a Spanish teacher; now, they will even be able to practice Spanish on computers at home.
"If we have to eliminate something, this is a program we can eliminate and replace with a very well-regarded alternative," Snyder said.
Rosetta Stone officials said use in schools is growing. Senior education director Cathy Quenzel said it is not intended to replace teachers, but "sometimes, it is the last stop."
At Ridgewood’s Willard School, many kids called the new way of learning fun. "Our Spanish teacher was really nice, but once we tried it for a day, we really liked it," said Tori Clay, 9, a fourth-grader.
Tori’s class spent one recent period sitting side by side at monitors, wearing headsets and speaking quietly into microphones as they took a Spanish lesson.
"It’s like your own private teacher," explained Marina Geider, 10.
Randolph school board president Amy Sachs said some parents were apprehensive about the change, but after Rosetta Stone was explained, "it didn’t seem to be that controversial."
"You never like to replace a human being with software," she said. "But it was what we believed and hoped was our best option."
Philadelphia Inquirer ‘NJ and Pa. officials react to loss expected federal aid”
Sunday June 27 2010 By Angela Couloumbis and Adrienne Lu
Inquirer Staff Writers
For two states toiling to pass multibillion-dollar budgets despite recession-ravaged revenue, the news from Washington last week could not have been bleaker.
Just days before the deadline to approve spending plans for next fiscal year, Pennsylvania and New Jersey got word that Congress had scrapped a bill that would have sent a combined $1.4 billion to help them balance their budgets and pay federally mandated Medicaid obligations.
It is unclear whether, or when, that money will be approved through some last-minute political maneuver in Washington.
But it appears likely that the lack of federal money will force more painful cuts to programs, including mental-health and children's services, whose funding has already been eviscerated the last few years.
Not receiving the federal Medicaid funding "would be devastating," said Tim Allwein, assistant executive director of governmental and member relations for the Pennsylvania School Boards Association.
School districts in Pennsylvania, he said, would likely lose the extra money Gov. Rendell is proposing for basic education, leaving them to raise taxes or slash programs and teaching jobs.
Rendell had one word last week to describe the impact on the state budget should the Medicaid money be permanently axed: Armageddon.
He predicted the loss would result in 20,000 layoffs of state, county, and municipal workers, as well as public school teachers. Losing the money could also affect thousands of social-service organizations in the private sector that rely on state funding.
A total of 30 states had been counting on the federal money to help balance budgets. But on Thursday, the latest version of the funding measure did not get the votes it needed to survive a GOP filibuster in the U.S. Senate.
Pennsylvania was expecting $850 million and New Jersey $570 million.
Rendell said that without it, budget negotiations - already tenuous in Pennsylvania - could be derailed.
"We'd be back to ground zero," he said.
Rendell spokesman Gary Tuma said Friday that Rendell had been on the phone with governors from across the country to rally them to put pressure on Congress.
"The governor will do everything he can to make sure that funding" is approved, said Tuma, adding that several scenarios were being bandied about in Washington, including getting Congress to approve the money - or a portion of it - this summer.
Gov. Christie is taking more of a wait-and-see approach.
"The governor remains hopeful that the funding will be restored for states including New Jersey, in whatever form that ultimately ends up taking," said Kevin Roberts, a spokesman for Christie.
Roberts said the administration continued to have confidence in the New Jersey congressional delegation's advocacy for the state, and did not have a contingency plan to replace the $570 million shortfall that would be created.
"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it," Roberts said.
But New Jersey's Legislature is scheduled to vote Monday on a difficult $29.4 billion budget that would slash spending across every department, eliminate property-tax rebates for 2010, and cut funding for a wide variety of programs and services.
And a new shortfall of $570 million would require even more painful budget cuts.
In Pennsylvania, Rendell and the legislature are still negotiating.
The spending plan that they are discussing includes the $850 million, although Republicans who control the Senate have insisted that any budget deal must specify where cuts would come from if the money never materializes.
On Friday, Senate Majority Leader Dominic Pileggi (R., Delaware) agreed that losing the federal funding would likely result in serious cuts, but added: "People should put this in perspective. The money is less than 4 percent of our budget this year."
Steve Miskin, spokesman for House Minority Leader Sam Smith (R., Jefferson), said that Republicans weren't buying Rendell's doomsday scenario, and that "we can find ways, and we've proposed ways, to bring in savings without affecting programs that are truly needed."
Still, many organizations that rely on state money are worried.
Child advocate Cathleen Palm said many social-service providers had been told to prepare for massive cuts if the Medicaid money didn't come through.
Cuts that the Rendell administration has identified, she said, include a 50 percent reduction in state funding for rape centers and domestic-violence services, a 25 percent cut for child abuse and family strengthening programs, and elimination of drug and alcohol and homeless services.
"That's a pretty powerful illustration," Palm said.
Pileggi said it was impossible at this stage to predict where cuts would be made if Pennsylvania didn't receive the Medicaid money. He said it would be a matter of negotiation between the legislature and the governor's office.
But others said several years of tough budgets had left Pennsylvania with relatively few reserves to mine for extra cash.
And this being an election year - all seats in the state House and half in the Senate are up for grabs - legislators are wary of raising taxes.
Rendell has proposed a handful of new taxes this year, including one on the extraction of natural gas, but there is little support for them.
That leaves few options outside of slash-and-burn program cuts when looking for ways to make up for the lost money.
Cheryl Flanagan, executive director of Human Services Inc., a community mental-health center in Chester County, said no new taxes was guaranteed to mean service cuts.
"I don't even want to think about it," she said.
She added: "We're already down to the bare bones. And this at a time where demand for our services is going up."
Legislators in Harrisburg make progress on budget
Legislative leaders pushed hard throughout the day Saturday to reach an agreement on the new Pennsylvania budget, but they emerged in the evening short of an official deal.
"We made further progress, but we still have work to do," said Senate Majority Leader Dominic Pileggi (R., Delaware).
Leaders met in the Capitol, then moved the negotiations to the governor's residence. Talks broke off shortly before 10:30 p.m., but are scheduled to resume Sunday. Lawmakers emphasized that they still hope to meet the June 30 deadline to enact a budget.
"Things are progressing well," said Sen. Jay Costa (D., Allegheny), the ranking Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Committee. "June 30 is still very much our goal
The Record ‘Local schools impose "pay-to-play" fees on student athletes’
Sunday, June 27, 2010
BY MIKE ESPOSITO AND JEFF ROBERTS
Many parents of high school athletes will be reaching for their wallets this fall as a growing number of North Jersey districts are imposing "pay-to-play" fees to save their sports programs during the state's financial crisis.
Statewide, more than 31 percent of public school districts had plans to put such fees in place this fall, according to the New Jersey School Boards Association, which polled its members in March, just after Governor Christie had slashed $820 million in aid to schools to close the state budget gap. Last year, just 17 of 588 school districts had fees, according to Mike Yaple, a spokesman for the association.
Locally, the picture is much the same. Of 32 high schools in Bergen and Passaic counties contacted by The Record, 12 planned to charge fees in September. Officials in others said they either came close to imposing the fees or decided to hold off for a year.
"I think a participation fee is definitely the wave of the future," said Ed Craumer, Tenafly's athletic director. His district will institute a $125 fee next school year to keep more than 650 athletes playing 24 sports.
The public school fees range from $50 to $150, according to interviews with North Jersey school officials. Some districts just charge student athletes; others charge participants in any after-school activity. Still others follow the college model, requiring all students to pay regardless of whether they participate.
Charging a fee is the only way to ensure the survival of high school athletics, officials said. They worry that Christie's proposed 2.5 percent cap on property tax hikes will lead to even deeper cuts.
"Under the circumstances, it seems it's not going to get any better," said Beth DelVecchio, the Cresskill athletic director. "The challenge is going to continue to be there." Cresskill will charge a $100 activity fee next year.
But fees still will not be enough to save all programs. River Dell instituted an activity fee last year, but it will still lose its middle school athletic program. Cresskill also will lose middle school athletics.
"I know the economy is bad and people are hurting and struggling," said Tim Gillen, the West Milford athletic director. "But all the research shows you that kids are better off in after-school programs than they are wandering the streets off on their own."
"Programs are being eliminated and people are having to pay more for activities," Gillen continued. "I hope they find a way to halt this before it gets too bad."
Laura Koropchak, a mother of two daughters who will compete for West Milford next year in tennis and track, said she does not have an issue with the high school's newly instituted $75 activity fee for all students.
"I don't think it's that bad," she said. "The kids need to do it, and sports is great for them."
A burden for families?
But some parents are concerned their kids may get priced out, especially during a deep recession that has left even some middle-class families struggling.
"It's sad because obviously there are families that there's a burden for," said state Sen. Richard J. Codey, D-Essex, who has long been involved with youth sports. "It's wrong. And it's not about whether or not teachers should take pay freezes. It's about not enough state aid. I understand the governor is in a bind, but this is not a proper response."
Few of North Jersey's poorer districts have embraced the trend of charging students, officials said, because too many parents cannot afford the fees.
Codey worries the trend will only widen the gap between families and schools that have resources and those that do not. "That is very sad and pathetic," he said.
Michael Drewniak, spokesman for Christie, said the administration inherited a difficult financial situation that will improve with time.
"We don't believe this is going to be a permanent condition," Drewniak said. "We're in a very difficult time and most people recognize that."
Nearly every North Jersey athletic department faced a budget crisis this spring. For example, Tenafly had to cover a shortfall of $100,000, and River Dell had to replace a loss of about $70,000. Most athletic budgets generally range from $300,000 to $800,000.
Mahwah will institute a participation fee in 2011; Lakeland Regional had planned to impose one this fall before savings in other areas made that unnecessary.
Public schools aren't alone. Immaculate Heart Academy will institute a fee next year, charging $250 for participation in one sport, $150 for a second sport and $50 for a third, said Principal Patricia Molloy.
St. Joseph began charging a fee a few years ago. And Bergen Catholic has charged a sport-by-sport fee for decades, based on the cost of the individual program, said athletic director Jack McGovern. The fees range from about $50 for tennis to $400 for football, with most sports costing $200 to $300.
National trend
The trend puts New Jersey schools more in line with districts nationally, where many public schools have charged athletic fees for years. In 2006, 35 percent of districts nationwide charged for school sports programs, according to a survey conducted by the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association. The survey has not been updated, said associate executive director Michael Blackburn, but he estimates the number has increased.
Nearly all of the North Jersey schools that are instituting a fee said there has been little reaction from parents. Gillen wonders if they may be comfortable with a pay system, having already shelled out fees for youth and travel sports.
The fees have local precedent, too. Of those surveyed by The Record, two had fees in place before last year.
Many districts followed the model of Ridgewood, the first Bergen County public school to institute fees 15 years ago. The district charged high school athletes $75 in 1995. That number rose to $100 and will increase to $150 next year as Ridgewood lost 100 percent of its $2.9 million in state aid for next year.
Like Ridgewood, almost all districts said they will waive fees for students eligible for free lunches. Others said they will consider hardship applications on a case-by-case basis.
"It is scary because I've always felt that athletics was one of the most important classrooms that we offered in the school," said Greg Butler, the athletic director at Northern Valley in Demarest. "Talk about life lessons and getting kids on the right road. And when you see many freshman programs being dropped, that's when kids can slip through the cracks. We cannot underestimate the impact athletics have on kids in terms of making good decisions."
E-mail: roberts@northjersey.com and esposito@northjersey.com
Many parents of high school athletes will be reaching for their wallets this fall as a growing number of North Jersey districts are imposing "pay-to-play" fees to save their sports programs during the state's financial crisis.
Statewide, more than 31 percent of public school districts had plans to put such fees in place this fall, according to the New Jersey School Boards Association, which polled its members in March, just after Governor Christie had slashed $820 million in aid to schools to close the state budget gap. Last year, just 17 of 588 school districts had fees, according to Mike Yaple, a spokesman for the association.
Locally, the picture is much the same. Of 32 high schools in Bergen and Passaic counties contacted by The Record, 12 planned to charge fees in September. Officials in others said they either came close to imposing the fees or decided to hold off for a year.
"I think a participation fee is definitely the wave of the future," said Ed Craumer, Tenafly's athletic director. His district will institute a $125 fee next school year to keep more than 650 athletes playing 24 sports.
The public school fees range from $50 to $150, according to interviews with North Jersey school officials. Some districts just charge student athletes; others charge participants in any after-school activity. Still others follow the college model, requiring all students to pay regardless of whether they participate.
Charging a fee is the only way to ensure the survival of high school athletics, officials said. They worry that Christie's proposed 2.5 percent cap on property tax hikes will lead to even deeper cuts.
"Under the circumstances, it seems it's not going to get any better," said Beth DelVecchio, the Cresskill athletic director. "The challenge is going to continue to be there." Cresskill will charge a $100 activity fee next year.
But fees still will not be enough to save all programs. River Dell instituted an activity fee last year, but it will still lose its middle school athletic program. Cresskill also will lose middle school athletics.
"I know the economy is bad and people are hurting and struggling," said Tim Gillen, the West Milford athletic director. "But all the research shows you that kids are better off in after-school programs than they are wandering the streets off on their own."
"Programs are being eliminated and people are having to pay more for activities," Gillen continued. "I hope they find a way to halt this before it gets too bad."
Laura Koropchak, a mother of two daughters who will compete for West Milford next year in tennis and track, said she does not have an issue with the high school's newly instituted $75 activity fee for all students.
"I don't think it's that bad," she said. "The kids need to do it, and sports is great for them."
A burden for families?
But some parents are concerned their kids may get priced out, especially during a deep recession that has left even some middle-class families struggling.
"It's sad because obviously there are families that there's a burden for," said state Sen. Richard J. Codey, D-Essex, who has long been involved with youth sports. "It's wrong. And it's not about whether or not teachers should take pay freezes. It's about not enough state aid. I understand the governor is in a bind, but this is not a proper response."
Few of North Jersey's poorer districts have embraced the trend of charging students, officials said, because too many parents cannot afford the fees.
Codey worries the trend will only widen the gap between families and schools that have resources and those that do not. "That is very sad and pathetic," he said.
Michael Drewniak, spokesman for Christie, said the administration inherited a difficult financial situation that will improve with time.
"We don't believe this is going to be a permanent condition," Drewniak said. "We're in a very difficult time and most people recognize that."
Nearly every North Jersey athletic department faced a budget crisis this spring. For example, Tenafly had to cover a shortfall of $100,000, and River Dell had to replace a loss of about $70,000. Most athletic budgets generally range from $300,000 to $800,000.
Mahwah will institute a participation fee in 2011; Lakeland Regional had planned to impose one this fall before savings in other areas made that unnecessary.
Public schools aren't alone. Immaculate Heart Academy will institute a fee next year, charging $250 for participation in one sport, $150 for a second sport and $50 for a third, said Principal Patricia Molloy.
St. Joseph began charging a fee a few years ago. And Bergen Catholic has charged a sport-by-sport fee for decades, based on the cost of the individual program, said athletic director Jack McGovern. The fees range from about $50 for tennis to $400 for football, with most sports costing $200 to $300.
National trend
The trend puts New Jersey schools more in line with districts nationally, where many public schools have charged athletic fees for years. In 2006, 35 percent of districts nationwide charged for school sports programs, according to a survey conducted by the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association. The survey has not been updated, said associate executive director Michael Blackburn, but he estimates the number has increased.
Nearly all of the North Jersey schools that are instituting a fee said there has been little reaction from parents. Gillen wonders if they may be comfortable with a pay system, having already shelled out fees for youth and travel sports.
The fees have local precedent, too. Of those surveyed by The Record, two had fees in place before last year.
Many districts followed the model of Ridgewood, the first Bergen County public school to institute fees 15 years ago. The district charged high school athletes $75 in 1995. That number rose to $100 and will increase to $150 next year as Ridgewood lost 100 percent of its $2.9 million in state aid for next year.
Like Ridgewood, almost all districts said they will waive fees for students eligible for free lunches. Others said they will consider hardship applications on a case-by-case basis.
"It is scary because I've always felt that athletics was one of the most important classrooms that we offered in the school," said Greg Butler, the athletic director at Northern Valley in Demarest. "Talk about life lessons and getting kids on the right road. And when you see many freshman programs being dropped, that's when kids can slip through the cracks. We cannot underestimate the impact athletics have on kids in terms of making good decisions."
E-mail: roberts@northjersey.com and esposito@northjersey.com
