"Adequate time for public review and input of the full plan is essential, and under no circumstances should a funding formula be rushed through this lame duck session of the Legislature," declared a December 9 briefing paper from the Special Education Funding Coalition. The Coalition is comprised of nine statewide, not-for-profit organizations concerned with special education funding and policy. The briefing paper addressed what the Coalition called "a sea change for special education funding," contained in the Governor’s proposal for a new school funding formula.

Working with the limited information about the plan that had been released so far, the Coalition expressed concerns about both the levels of funding provided for special education programs and the proposed allocation process. "Our most pressing concern," the statement declared, "is that special education funding not become a focal point of local budgets and create a situation in which taxpayers are left to decide about whether to pay for required services for students with disabilities. Local boards of education should not be forced into a position in which they must cut general education services in order to pay for special education." (The full brief is available here.)

Previously, at a December 5 press conference, the Coalition had urged the legislature not to act quickly on such a complex issue. "We'd prefer that the full plan, with numbers and details, be released, and that the full public be offered a chance to debate them," said Brenda Considine, spokeswoman for the New Jersey Coalition for Special Education Funding Reform, as reported in the Star Ledger. "We think it will be nearly impossible to get that done in a thoughtful way before the session ends."

The Special Education Funding Coalition includes:

• The Alliance for the Betterment of Citizens with Disabilities (ABCD);
• The Association for Children of New Jersey (ACNJ);
• The Arc of New Jersey;
•  ASAH, formerly the Association of Schools and Agencies for the Handicapped;
• The Coalition for Inclusive Education;
• The NJ Center for Outreach and Services for the Autism Community (COSAC);
• The Education Law Center;
• New Jersey Protection and Advocacy, Inc. (NJP&A); and
• The Statewide Parent Advocacy Network (SPAN).

Last September, the group issued a detailed series of "Recommendations for Special Education Funding," laying out guidelines for a fair and adequate special education funding formula.

Prepared: December 16, 2007