Welcome to School Board Notes

December 19, 2007 • Vol. XXXI • No. 18

Corzine Plan Would Add $530 Million in School Aid School Funding: A Message from NJSBA’s President Insights into New School Funding Proposal Court Orders State to Release Funding Memo State Legislative Update Federal Funding Update Voters Approve $158.4 Million in School Construction A View of NJSBA’s Training Webinar NJSBA Board Academy Courses in January NJSBA Executive Committee to Meet Update: Construction Review Committee Meeting Cancelled Calendar Click here for a pdf version of this issue of School Board Notes	Corzine Plan Would Add $530 Million in School Aid School districts would receive state aid increases ranging from 2 percent to 20 percent in 2008-2009 under Gov. Jon S. Corzine’s proposed education funding proposal, called A New Formula for Success—All Children, All Communities. School Funding: A Message from NJSBA’s President NJSBA is cautiously optimistic that the Corzine Administration’s proposed school funding formula could give all children equal access to educational opportunity and provide a fair distribution of state aid among school districts. WEB EXTRA Insights into New School Funding Proposal Gov. Jon S. Corzine introduced a new school-funding formula on Dec. 12. It’s a formula that would provide increases in aid to all school districts, ranging from 2 percent to 20 percent. Court Orders State to Release Funding Memo The Appellate Division of Superior Court ruled Dec. 11 that the New Jersey State Department of Education must make public a memo, with no redactions, about state aid simulation results for three school funding formula proposals.

	State Legislative Update While the state’s new school-funding formula has attracted much of the attention at the Statehouse, the Assembly on Dec. 13 passed several other education bills.

	WEB EXTRA Federal Funding Update This past weekend, Congressional leaders renegotiated a funding bill for 2008—and the House of Representatives on Monday passed the bill, HR-2764, by a vote of 206-201—which includes increases for key education programs, including a $1.6 billion increase for Title I.

	Voters Approve $158.4 Million in School Construction Voters approved school construction proposals in eight of the 14 school districts with referendums on the Dec. 11 ballot.

	A View of NJSBA’s Training Webinar Webinars—seminars presented live on the Web, through your own computer—have been designed by NJSBA for board members to meet the mandatory training requirement under the state’s School District Accountability Act. NJSBA Board Academy Courses in January NJSBA will sponsor training programs in January that are designed to help board members enhance their leadership skills, successfully negotiate a superintendent’s contract, prepare for change, and conduct effective meetings.

	UPDATE NJSBA Executive Committee to Meet the NJSBA Executive Committee originally scheduled for Wednesday, Jan. 2, 2008 at 6:30 p.m. has been changed to Wednesday, Jan. 2, 2008 at 6 p.m. UPDATE Construction Review Committee Meeting Cancelled NJSBA’s Construction Review Committee meeting originally scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 5, 2008 has been cancelled.

	Calendar

	Training Programs and Resources 2008 School Public Relations Forum The 35th Annual Federal Relations Network Conference/NJSBA's Legislative Kickoff Browse NJSBA’s Bookstore for the latest publications on school governance. Board Member Academy Programs