ABBOTT
DISTRICTS NOT PREPARED TO REVISE FACILITY PLANS NEXT YEAR
ELC CALLS ON NJDOE TO ISSUE NEW PLANNING RULES
Abbott
districts must develop new five-year facility improvement
plans next year, but lack guidance from NJDOE on how to perform
this critical task. In addition, rules recently proposed by
NJDOE fail to address even the most minimal requirements for
sound facilities planning, and must be completely overhauled.
These findings are contained in a Report
on the NJDOE Rules on Long-Range Facilities Plans
issued by Education Law Center (ELC) on February 16, 2004.
The
proposed rules are under review by the State Board
of Education. According to ELC, the rules do not meet the
directives for facilities planning in the Abbott
V ruling, the Educational
Facilities Construction and Financing Act (EFCFA),
and Executive
Order No. 24. The rules fail to:
- Direct
districts to adopt a schedule and budget to ensure effective
completion of the plans by the EFCFA deadline of October
2005, and to maximize participation of stakeholders in the
planning process
-
Instruct districts on conducting a thorough re-assessment
of their education program as a foundation for planning
new or renovated facilities
-
Provide standards for planning community centered schools
-
Require NJDOE to maintain a reliable, public database to
promote community engagement in facilities planning and
State and district accountability for effective program
implementation
ELC
is calling on the State Board to address these, and other
deficiencies in the proposed rules. According to ELC Research
Director Joan Ponessa, the rules must be revised to correct
serious flaws in the current long-range plans prepared in
1999, and to improve overall facilities planning during the
next five year construction cycle (2005-2010).
This
report marks the second issued by ELC on the NJDOE proposed
rules. A January
report analyzed the NJDOE failure to address the
planning and funding for preschool facilities in Abbott districts.
Related
Article: NJDOE
Rules Neglect Preschool Facilities Needs
Prepared:
February 16, 2004
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