School vouchers rise from the ashes Newark mayor among new backers of effort Tuesday, November 07, 2006 • BY JOHN MOONEY • Star-Ledger Staff Once given up for dead, a controversial bill to pump public funds into private-school vouchers is quietly gaining support from top state Democratic lawmakers and Newark Mayor Cory Booker. While the proposed Urban Schools Scholarship Act still faces long odds of passage without the backing of Gov. Jon Corzine's administration, the measure that would use tax credits to pay for $20 million a year in "scholarships" in at least five New Jersey cities -- including Newark, Elizabeth and Orange -- has gained a handful of new and powerful backers, including state Sen. Raymond Lesniak (D-Union) and Assemblyman Joseph Cryan (D-Union). Lesniak is one of the Legislature's most influential power brokers, and Cryan is chairman of the Democratic State Committee. "I always thought this (proposal) was a good idea," said state Sen. Joseph Doria (D-Bayonne), one of the bill's original sponsors. "But it's now become much more of a possibility." The bill, which has been stalled in the Legislature, would allow corporations or others to receive dollar-for-dollar tax credits for contributions to the scholarships or other unspecified school improvement funds. The scholarships would be limited to 4,000 low-income students in the pilot districts in the first year, and up to 20,000 by the fifth year. Each child would receive up to $6,000 for elementary school tuition and $9,000 for high school. The endorsement by Booker, who had been quiet on the topic for much of the last year, is especially notable. The new mayor had been an early proponent of vouchers in the state, but downplayed it in the mayoral campaign and instead has focused more on the issue of school safety. But last month, he wrote to lawmakers urging passage of the bill on the grounds that the scholarships would empower parents, help ease overcrowding in public schools, and potentially save imperiled parochial schools in his city. "It's not often a new program offers a win-win situation as does this legislation," Booker wrote. Booker plans to give a speech in New York City in the next month in which he will trumpet "the issue of choice for the children of Newark," said spokeswoman Desiree Peterkin Bell. The Newark City Council also backed the bills in a resolution two weeks ago, calling the proposed program a "highly effective and efficient way to enable Newark public school students to exercise their right to choose a school most likely to satisfy their educational needs." Central Ward Councilwoman Dana Rone, a close Booker ally, has been the city's most outspoken voucher proponent and was the sponsor of the resolution. She said it took a little convincing, but she gained the council's unanimous support. "It was just a matter of them clearly understanding it," she said. Even with the new support, there is plenty of fight expected from the state's predominant teachers unions, which oppose vouchers in any form. The head of the Newark Teachers Union said the proposal was a form of "corporate welfare." "If these corporations want to be magnanimous to give out these scholarships, they should do so without having the public pay for it," said Joseph Del Grosso, president of the NTU. Del Grosso also questioned how far Booker would stick his political neck out. "He has enough other issues to deal with," he said. So far, the bill has yet to be posted in Trenton for a hearing. Corzine has said he is opposed to vouchers, and state Sen. Shirley Turner (D-Mercer), chairwoman of the Senate Education Committee, said she does not see the merits in spending public tax credits for an unproven idea. Efforts to reach her yesterday were unsuccessful. Lesniak said he was skeptical of the bill in the past, but added not only his name as a co-sponsor but Elizabeth as one of the pilot districts. He cited his own frequent disputes with the Elizabeth school board over its management and oversight of the district. "I have become so fed up with the skullduggery and shenanigans of the board that I believe something needs to be done to provide competition for them and show them how students can get a better education than they have provided," Lesniak said yesterday. John Mooney covers education. He may be reached at jmooney@star ledger.com, or 973-392-1548. © 2006 The Star-Ledger. Used by NJ.com with permission.