New Jersey Senate signs off on bill to create school funding task force
(The Center Square) – The New Jersey Senate unanimously advanced legislation to create a task force to evaluate school funding in the Garden State.
S-3617, which passed 38-0, creates the School Funding Formula Evaluation Task Force. The group will explore funding mechanisms in place, including those for students with limited English proficiency and at-risk students.
Ultimately, the task force will provide recommendations for potential improvements to the School Funding Reform Act (SFRA), a measure that state Sen. Steve Oroho, R-Sussex, classified as “misguided” and “a failure.”
“Too many schools, especially in rural and suburban areas, are missing out on the money they deserve,” Oroho, the Republican budget officer, said in a news release.
“The funding formula is controlling the purse strings for school aid from the state,” Oroho added. “If there are design flaws in the formula, there will be problems with the funding. This is a crucial step toward addressing the way New Jersey taxpayer money is used for education.”
The task force will have seven members, including the commissioner of education. The other six members must have educational experience and municipal finance and school budgeting knowledge.
The Senate president and Assembly speaker will appoint two members, while the Senate and Assembly minority leaders will appoint one member.
Separately, the Senate unanimously agreed to Assembly amendments to S-3488, a measure that Senate President Steve Sweeney, D-Gloucester/Salem/Cumberland, called “the first major overhaul of New Jersey’s school regionalization statute in more than 25 years.” It encourages K-12 regional and countywide school districts’ creation.
“It is designed to improve the quality of education by ensuring coordination of curriculum from K through 12 provide the enriched educational experience that smaller districts cannot offer, and generate long-term savings that can be used to hold down property taxes or reinvest in expanded educational programs,” Sweeney said in a news release.
Several groups voiced support for the proposal, including the New Jersey Business & Industry Association (NJBIA), which said it would save the state money.
“This bill doesn’t force schools to consolidate, but it removes some of the impediments that can prevent districts from moving forward with plans that can benefit both taxpayers and students,” Sen. Declan O’Scanlon, R-Monmouth, said in a news release.
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