Our Children/Our Schools
A newsletter about New Jersey school funding and reform
       July 2007 - Issue 10
In This Issue
Internet Resources

The Garden State is a national leader in school funding equity. Yet not all New Jersey children have adequate funding or access to high quality preschool, safe facilities and other initiatives. And the State still relies too heavily on local property taxes.

Our Children/Our Schools seeks to inform the public debate on these important issues.

Funding Formula Outlook Uncertain
Shortly after taking office Governor Jon Corzine charged the State Legislature with reforming the state's school funding formula. As the OC/OS newsletter has documented, activity heated up considerably in 2006, but has slowed in 2007. This update reviews key events over the past year and identifies some developments likely to influence efforts to revamp the school funding formula as we head into fall 2007, a season that will include a legislative campaign and a "lame duck" session of the legislature in November/December. The outcome remains uncertain and the stakes remain high for all of New Jersey's children and communities.
ELC Seeks Evaluation of Abbott Programs
Education Law Center (ELC) has filed suit seeking to compel the State Education Department to fulfill a longstanding Supreme Court mandate to evaluate the Abbott reforms and set progress benchmarks for Abbott districts. The suit, filed on July 6, asks for an order directing the Department of Education, within 60 days, to 1) prepare a detailed work plan and schedule for undertaking and completing the evaluation of Abbott reforms, and 2) complete and adopt progress benchmarks for Abbott districts. ELC Attorney Theresa Luhm said that, "We have continuously asked the agency to implement the mandated evaluation yet, after almost nine years, there still is no progress. We hope that this legal action will spur the Department to act quickly and effectively."
SCC becomes "Schools Development Authority"
A new agency and a new process for managing school construction projects has finally been adopted. The "Schools Construction Corporation" has been replaced by the newly created "Schools Development Authority." Now the State needs to fund this reformed process by providing the resources required to build the schools our children need.
The SRA: Loophole or Lifeline?
Last year over 13,000 NJ students, and one-third of all Abbott graduates, received their high school diplomas by using the Special Review Assessment (SRA) to satisfy NJ graduation requirements. A new report entitled NJ's Special Review Assessment: Loophole or Lifeline? examines the issues raised by the SRA and the debate over whether to reform, replace, or eliminate it. A preview of one section of the report, Frequently Asked Questions about the SRA, is available here.
News Roundup
Abbott School Districts Among the Top Spenders, New York Times, June 10, 2007 & Follow-up Letter to the Editor, New York Times, 7/1/07
Money, Not Race, Fuels New Push to Buoy Schools, New York Times, June 30, 2007
Advocates Sue Over Segregation of Disabled Students
N.J.'s Shameful Record With Disabled Students, The Record, July 2, 2007
Support for Abbott Schools, Op-Ed by Keith Lockwood, The Trenton Times, July 11, 2007
Upcoming Events
Education Organizing Seminar, Sept 15. Hold the date. More info to come.
NJ State NAACP Conference of Branches Annual Conference Sept 21-23, contact: info@njnaacp.org.
NJ Black Issues Convention 25th Annual Leadership Conference, October 4-7, contact info@njbic.org.
Please send announcements of upcoming events for the Our Children/Our Schools calendar to Stan Karp, skarp@edlawcenter.org.

"At its core, a constitutionally adequate education is one that will prepare public school children for a meaningful role in society, enable them to compete effectively in the economy and contribute and participate as citizens and members of their communities."

CONTACT INFORMATION

Email: skarp@edlawcenter.org

Phone: (973) 624-1815

Web: http://www.edlawcenter.org

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