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 Spring 2006 By now, New Jerseyans know about Governor Corzine’s proposed austerity budget for 2006-07. The governor’s budget resulted from hard choices at the state level. At the local level, boards of education also faced difficult financial decisions as they prepared school budgets for the April 18 Annual School Election. Like it or not, the State of New Jersey’s financial picture—and, in particular, state aid to public education—is a major part of the dynamic that determines what a community spends on its schools and the amount of money it must raise in property taxes. 2006-07 will mark the fifth consecutive year that the state’s budget has either flat funded, or provided negligible increases in, aid to education. (In fact, this year more than one-quarter of New Jersey’s school districts will experience actual decreases in state dollars.) The five-year funding freeze has occurred at the same time that school districts must serve an increasing number of students statewide and pay sharply escalating prices for necessities—such as motor fuels, utilities and insurance coverage—the costs of which are outside their control. In this climate, school boards have directed limited resources to the classroom through increased efficiencies and shared-service arrangements. Today, more than 70% of New Jersey public school expenditures go toward classroom instruction and instructional support services, according to the U.S. Department of Education. In fact, since 1989-90, the number of administrators employed in our schools has decreased (by -0.14%), while the numbers of students and teachers have grown by 29% and 33%, respectively. In his Budget Message, Governor Corzine acknowledged the predicament facing local school boards this year when he said, “I appreciate that flat-funding in an inflating environment is a real cut.” Creating a school budget in this financial environment is no easy task. It involves balancing the community’s education goals with the resources available from the state and from local property taxpayers. As citizens go the polls on April 18, I urge them to keep in mind the challenges facing their local board of education in determining the financial resources necessary for the education of their community’s children. Sincerely,
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