Funding Alert

With the public and the press discussing Governor Christie's budget cuts to the exclusion of most other issues, Our Children/Our Schools knew that the time was right to hold a forum on state funding for education. The purpose of the event, held on April 24, was to educate stakeholders about proposed cuts in state aid for the 2010-11 school year. The program also focused on the current OC/OS school funding campaign, as well as opportunities for action and input in support of public education during the months leading up to the State Legislature's vote on the budget.

The forum, entitled "School Funding and the FY2011 State Budget," was held on the Rutgers-Newark campus and drew over 100 participants. The program began with presentations by four panelists: Assemblyman Albert Coutinho; Bridgeton Superintendent Victor Gilson; former Newark teacher and founder of Teachers as Leaders in Newark, Leah Owens; and Junius Williams, Director of the Abbott Leadership Institute. The panel discussion was moderated by Dr. Elnardo Webster, Superintendent of Roselle Public Schools, Co-Chair of the Education Committee of the NJ Black Issues Convention and a member of OC/OS.

Panelists talked about the probable effects of the massive cuts in state aid to education proposed by the governor. They forecast serious impacts on students resulting from large class sizes, teacher layoffs, the absence of resources and a host of other cutbacks forced on school districts.

Noting the difficult fiscal situation of the state, the panelists suggested increasing state revenue as an alternative to extreme cuts to education and social services, especially citing the importance of reinstating the "millionaire's tax."

The panelists' opening remarks were followed by questions from Dr. Webster and forum participants. A number of questions focused on what participants could do to influence Legislators on school funding. There was discussion of the OC/OS "Fund the Formula in FY2011" campaign and the OC/OS petition urging the State Legislature to allocate state aid to schools in accordance with the School Funding Reform Act (SFRA). For more on the campaign and petition, read OC/OS "Fund the Formula in FY2011" Campaign in Full Swing in this newsletter.

Participants were informed that several thousand petition signatures had already been collected, and that signatures would continue to be gathered through mid-June. The petition was distributed to all those in attendance, who were urged to sign it electronically, and print it out and circulate hard copies to friends, family and colleagues.

In addition, participants were urged to engage in other forms of advocacy on behalf of public education, including providing public testimony about the state budget and school funding to the Assembly Education Committee on May 17, taking part in the May 22 rally at the State House in Trenton against the budget cuts, and contacting Legislators and the press to push for adequate state aid to schools.

Finally, other hot-button issues were addressed by panelists and participants during the April 24 forum. These issues included the extremely low passing rates on the January administration of the Alternative High School Assessment (AHSA) and what that could mean for thousands of high school seniors around the state; the "voucher bill" reintroduced by Senators Ray Lesniak and Tom Kean Jr.; and the federal School Improvement Grant program focusing on low-performing schools around the state, including ten schools in Newark.