State Must Reform Funding For Students And Educators Capitol Comments

Assemblyman Alex Sauickie

A few weeks ago, I wrote about the disappointment I experienced when I attended a governor’s State of the State address for the first time as the state’s newest Assemblyman. Recently I attended a governor’s budget address for the first time and, well, it reminded me of Yogi Berra’s quote about “deja vu all over again.”

As before, Gov. Murphy touted his record on education funding because he plans to spend more than ever. Despite this, several school districts I represent and scores of others across the state will once again have to slash staff and programs, as they have for years.

This is happening even though the state could fund every school district in New Jersey at what the law defines as “adequacy” levels. The governor has instead chosen to sit on a state budget surplus of $10 billion while students’ programs are cut and edu- cators lose their jobs.

As a parent of students in local public schools, I know how serious this issue is. Under the governor’s proposal, Jackson’s school district alone will lose (a total of) $20 million in state funding while inflation and increasing transportation costs hammer its budget. Nine other school districts I represent will have aid slashed by nearly $72 million. Again, this is going on across the state.

At the same time, there are also districts like Newark which received an additional $114 million. So your tax money is being taken away from Jackson schools, which were cut by $6.2 million this year, and being funneled to a school district with an average state aid per student of more than $30,000 while Jackson receives less than $4,000 per student.

The state funding formula clearly doesn’t work, so I have sponsored several bills to bring funding back to our schools. The most immediately helpful would be the newly introduced legislation to bring funding up to adequacy levels. Business leaders have heartily endorsed the plan as good for fam- ilies and the state’s economy.

As I’ve previously written, I’ve also introduced legislation to review the current funding formula and come up with a new one that works. Until that happens, I’m pushing for bills I sponsor to guarantee full funding of state aid for extraordinary special education; make permanent stabilization aid for school districts with big losses of state school aid or other budget problems, and education rescue grants for districts losing teachers. I also sponsor bills to help in smaller but effective ways, such allowing schools to transfer capital reserve account funds to their general fund for current expenses.

Earlier this month I met with the governor’s staff to explain the harsh impact of cuts to Jackson schools in particular. I know the schools I represent have diligently and faithfully asked the hard questions: where can we cut and not hurt our students, staff and community? The knife can only cut so deeply before you have permanent damage. On the brighter side, at least the courts may force the state to cover some of the costs it dumps on schools. A recent appellate court ruling says the state must consider the strain of state-mandated transportation costs on school budgets when determining if a district receives constitutionally adequate state funding.

The decision proves what many of us have been saying about the state’s obligation to Jackson schools. It says state school aid must take into account a district’s “unique and precarious position” as an “outlier” when it comes to the cost of transportation for private school students.

The decision is about Lakewood, but Jackson is well on the way to where Lakewood is now in that regard. Five years ago, Jackson had 667 nonpublic school students. Today, that number is 4,331.

I’ve introduced a bill (A4461) that would allow Jackson and five other school districts to form a three-year, nonpublic school student transportation pilot program to tackle exploding busing costs with state funds. I will continue to push for it in Trenton, bolstered by the court’s logic, but will also continue to advocate for better school funding now and a sensible funding formula as soon as possible.

Alex Sauickie is a life-long Jackson resident who represents his home town and 13 other towns in the State Assembly.