The Constitutional Convention for Property Taxes

Dear NJSBA Member,

The answer is an unequivocal “No.”

Of course, our state needs desperately to address its over-reliance on property taxes to support public education. But the effective path to reform is a special session of the Legislature – not a Constitutional Convention that would require layers of procedural approval and could take two years or longer for final results.

Currently before the New Jersey State Legislature is a proposal for a Constitutional Convention (A-5269 and ACR-25). Our lawmakers, however, have a viable – and preferable – alternative: passing Assembly Concurrent Resolutions 99 and 218, and Senate Concurrent Resolution 20, which would create a special legislative session on tax reform. These measures present New Jersey’s best chance for genuine property tax relief.

NJSBA has created this special Web page to provide information about the convention and alternative proposals, as well as tools you can use to advocate the interests of public school students on this issue. (The Web page even includes a PowerPoint® presentation that can be shown at meetings of the local school board or parent and community organizations.) As new information becomes available, we will update the page, so visit it periodically.

The coming months represent a critical juncture for New Jersey and the strategy it uses to address the property tax issue. Thank you for joining in this important effort.

Sincerely,