Governor Corzine on Monday told more than 140 local school officials that state aid to public education for 2006-07 would be kept as close as possible to current levels. Corzine made the comments during opening remarks at the NJSBA Legislative Conference in Trenton.

At the same time, the governor also stressed that New Jersey’s $4.6 billion revenue gap is the major obstacle to holding harmless the funding for schools. He explained that all state expenditure areas must be considered in efforts to close the budget gap. Pre-K through 12 public education makes up approximately one-third of the state budget.

Corzine also noted that the state has failed to get revenues and expenditures in line–due to years of “one-shot revenue deals” and “side-step shuffle.”

“We’re not addressing the issue and are setting ourselves up for a precipitous crash,” he said. The governor is scheduled to deliver his budget proposal to the state Legislature on March 21. That proposal will include state school aid amounts for 2006-2007.

Corzine appeared at the NJSBA Legislative Conference prior to traveling to New Brunswick to convene a statewide summit on the state’s budget.

“We will continue to work with the Governor and the Legislature to explore solutions to New Jersey’s budget difficulties while keeping foremost in mind local school boards’ obligations to provide a thorough and efficient education,” said Edwina M. Lee, NJSBA Executive Director.

The NJSBA Legislative Conference included approximately 50 small group meetings with legislators and local school board members, as well as training on critical issues.