Monday’s hearings on a state school funding report represent only the start of public discussion on a new education finance system, according to NJSBA.

 “The meetings will address the vehicle used to identify the cost of providing a thorough-and-efficient education, which would be one part of a new funding formula; but it is not the proposed formula itself,” said Edwina M. Lee, executive director.

“Nor will the meetings address prospective state aid figures for 2007-2008.”

NJSBA governmental relations staff will monitor the three hearings on Oct. 18, according to Lee.  One meeting is set for Burlington County Community College; the others will take place at Kean University in Union.

The meetings will center only on how the state Department of Education would establish a foundation level of spending, which would be one of several components of a new funding system.  The foundation would be the amount of money per student that the state determines is needed to fund adequate general education.

Discussion at the Oct. 18 meeting will focus on the Report on the Cost of Education, recently released by the education department.  That data in that report, however, is from 2003.

Other components of a new system and the types of calculations used to produce state aid will not be discussed.

“NJSBA had requested that at least one of the meetings take place in the evening, so that local school board members could participate in the discussion,” said Lee.  And the education department responded by scheduling one of Monday’s hearings, at Kean University, in the evening.  (Go to the following link for all hearing times/locations and to register to provide written or verbal comments: http://www.state.nj.us/njded/news/2006/1212sff.htm.) Department of Education officials indicate that additional sessions may take place in January.