Our Children/Our Schools
A newsletter about New Jersey school funding and reform
  May 2008 - Issue 14
In This Issue
Resources

The Garden State has been a national leader in school funding equity. But the School Funding Reform Act of 2008 may change that. The new aid formula underfunds many New Jersey schools and programs and removes the historic Abbott "special needs" designation for poor, urban schools. In addition, the new formula does little to change New Jersey's over-reliance on local property taxes to fund education.

Our Children/Our Schools seeks to inform the public debate on these important issues and advocate for high quality education for all New Jersey children.

 

OC/OS Supports Court Challenge to SFRA
In an April 29 press release, OC/OS declared its support for a Court challenge to the new School Funding and Reform Act. OC/OS "wholeheartedly supports the efforts of the Education Law Center," according to the release, which also notes that the SFRA runs counter to the founding principles of OC/OS, including support for needed resources for all students.
School Facilities Waiting on Governor's Promise
Last January, on the eve of the latest NJ Supreme Court hearing on funding for school facilities, Governor Corzine sent a last-second letter to the Court promising to submit a bill to the Legislature requesting $2.5 billion for school construction. As of May 1, no bill has been introduced.
NJ Missteps on Secondary Reform Plan
On April 25, the New Jersey High School Redesign Steering Committee released its long-awaited recommendations for secondary reform in a report entitled NJ Steps: Re-designing Education in NJ for the 21st Century. Although the report urges six new high-stakes exams and "a fundamental change in public education in the state that will affect students in all grades," the committee did not propose any new resources to support its recommendations.
NJ Organizers Meet With Other Ed Advocates
Education organizers and advocates from the New Jersey Education Organizing Collaborative (NJEOC) attended the first annual convening held by Communities for Public Education Reform (CPER) in Chicago in early April. Representatives from Jersey City, Newark and Paterson interacted with their counterparts from Philadelphia, Denver and Chicago.
Lessons From Recent School Budget and Board Elections
On April 15, the first school elections were held since passage of the new school funding formula. Despite the radical changes introduced by the formula, one number remained the same - voter turnout. Only about 14% of registered voters came out to elect school board members and say yea or nay to proposed school budgets. Almost 74% of budgets in Type II districts were approved.
News Round-Up
Needlessly Shortchanging Poor Children
Urban Educators Say of New State Reform Efforts: Get Real
Committee Approves Scholarship Program for Poor Kids
State Board Votes to Retain Alternative Route to Graduation
Upcoming Events
Our Children/Our Schools General Meeting, Thursday, May 15, at 9:45 a.m. For more info, contact skrengel@edlawcenter.org.
School Finance and the Achievement Gap: Funding Programs That Work, a symposium sponsored by Educational Testing Service and co-convened by the Consortium for Policy Research in Education and the Education Law Center, May 21-May 22, Educational Testing Service, Princeton. For more info or to register, visit www.ets.org/schoolfinanceconf.
The Price We Pay: Economic and Social Consequences of Inadequate Education, presented by the Public Education Institute at the Center for Effective School Practices. Speakers include Professor Henry Levin, Professor Alan Sadovnik, and Dr. Marion Bolden, Superintendent of the Newark Public Schools, May 27, 8:30 a.m. to 12 p.m., Paul Robeson Center, Rutgers University-Newark. For more info or to register, contact rupei@rci.rutgers.edu.
Virtual Brown Bag Lunches: School Funding, understand the effects of the new funding formula in the short- and long-term. With Steve Latz, former South Orange/Maplewood Board of Education member, June 12, noon to 1 p.m, hosted by Fund for an OPEN Society. To receive an invitation to join this conference call, send an e-mail to brownbag@opensoc.org or call 973-821-4198.
Send announcements of upcoming events for the Our Children/Our Schools Calendar to info@ourchildrenourschools.org

"At its core, a constitutionally adequate education is one that will prepare public school children for a meaningful role in society, enable them to compete effectively in the economy and contribute and participate as citizens and members of their communities."

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Email: info@ourchildrenourschools.org

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