Monday, December 17, 2007
Trenton, NJ

Today the League submitted to the Legislature a copy of our report on the proposed School Funding Formula.  The text of that transmittal follows.

Dear Member of the Senate and General Assembly:

We present to you the recommendations of the New Jersey State League of Municipalities’ School Funding Committee on the proposed revisions to the school funding formula.  These recommendations were developed through consultation with specialists in education and public finance.

As New Jersey’s largest public investment, education must be a top priority and the proper investment must be made to continuously improve student achievement.  We recognize that the quality of public education has a direct impact on the quality of life in our communities.  We also recognize that public education accounts for approximately 60% of the average property tax bill, and therefore we believe that the State must make long-term, broad-based property tax relief an explicit goal of the revised school funding formula.

The recommendations herein focus on the themes of fiscal responsibility, accountability, and sound investment in high-quality programs that work and elimination of programs that don’t work.  The Mayors are concerned that there is no clear plan for how to pay for the proposed school funding formula; we believe the State must recognize that any formula will be sustainable only if the short – and long-term structural deficit is addressed.

We strongly believe that a thoughtful and comprehensive discussion around school funding must take place before a revised formula is enacted.  It is critically important that such fundamental changes reflect a thorough analysis and public discussion involving stakeholders.

The full report can be found at http://www.njslom.org/school-funding-121307.html.

We hope that you will seriously consider these recommendations and look forward to discussing them with you.

Respectfully Submitted,