NJSBA on State Budget: School Aid Increase Will Help Property Taxpayers

NJSBA on State Budget:
School Aid Increase Will Help Property Taxpayers

Marie S. Bilik, NJSBA’s executive director, on Tuesday thanked Gov. Jon Corzine for recommending an increase of $532 million in state aid to public education for 2008-2009. The aid increase resulted from the state’s new school funding formula, the School Funding Reform Act of 2008, enacted in January.

“Against the backdrop of state budget cuts, the increase in education funding will relieve or stabilize property tax burdens in a significant number of communities,” said Bilik. “The recommended appropriation will also provide a needed infusion of aid to many school programs that have been flat funded for six years. And it will help many school districts meet the challenges of educating economically disadvantaged children.

“NJSBA continues to have concerns about the distribution of aid under the new school funding formula and the impact on some of our member districts,” Bilik explained. “However, we decided not to oppose the funding bill as it went through the Legislature in December and early January. The need for property tax relief in many moderate and middle-income districts was simply too great.

“In addition, the ability to plan local school budgets with a degree of certainty will be a welcomed and sound fiscal practice, one that was absent during the last six years when no funding formula was in place.

“Postponing action on the governor’s funding plan would have also resulted in the Legislature debating the proposal at the same time that it is considering state debt restructuring and cutbacks for hospitals, human services and colleges,” said Bilik.

“In that climate, all school districts could easily have wound up with the same amount of aid—or less aid—than last year. For too many of our members, that would have meant yet another year of trying to figure out what programs to cut simply to make ends meet. That certainly is not in the interests of school children.

“We will continue to analyze the impact of the new funding law as it is implemented and, in the future, will advocate change where necessary,” Bilik said. “But in terms of the 2008-2009 state budget, NJSBA will strongly advocate inclusion of the governor’s recommendation for state school aid as the Legislature develops the final appropriations act.”