Poverty advocates slam Corzine plan

from North Jersey Media

By GEOFF MULVIHILL
ASSOCIATED PRESS

MOUNT LAUREL -- Advocates for poor children are bashing the Corzine administration's plan to overhaul New Jersey's formula for giving aid to schools even before many of the details have been released.

The administration sought to quell early criticism, briefing more than 60 education experts, followed by members of the media on Friday. But it left the biggest question hanging by failing to provide a district-by-district breakdown of new aid amounts.

"We can't tell that yet because we don't have it finished," said Education Commissioner Lucille Davy. Those numbers will be available "probably within a week to 10 days," she said.

The administration says its proposal simplifies the state aid system and provides more stability to communities struggling with rising budgets. It will require Supreme Court approval because it seeks to change the way aid is distributed to the poorest districts.

Although the administration says those districts will not see their state aid reduced, critics say it's unfair that the state won't be recognizing concentrations of poverty as in the past.

Irene Sterling, a member of the Paterson Education Fund, called Corzine's plan "a shell game."

"Despite what looks like an overall increase in school spending, the school funding proposal could have an especially harsh impact on the children who are most at risk and vulnerable," she said.

While the very words "funding formula" might sound mundane, they go to the heart of two of the New Jersey's biggest issues: struggling urban schools and highest-in-the-nation property taxes.

The state sends about $11 billion per year -- one-third of its budget -- to help run local schools. About half the money goes to schools in 31 poor communities known as the "Abbott districts," so called because of a state Supreme Court decision requiring the state to provide them extra aid.

Most of the rest of the cost of running public schools is paid for by local property taxes.

Over the past five years, the state has not given much additional money to most school districts but has increased contributions to the Abbott districts. That has forced many of the state's 600 school districts -- most of them in the suburbs -- to raise property taxes sharply to keep up with costs.

Meanwhile, some of the poor urban districts say they are still not given enough.

Corzine has said that the state would increase its contributions to schools statewide by about $500 million per year.

But under Corzine's plan, school districts would get aid based partly on the number of disadvantaged children, regardless of whether those children live in high-poverty areas. That means the Abbotts would have their aid determined the same way other schools do, a change that likely will require the approval of the state Supreme Court.

It would also mean additional requirements for many schools. For instance, the state has paid for all-day preschool for all 3- and 4-year-olds in the poorest districts.