State report lays foundation for new school funding formula Wednesday, December 13, 2006 • BY JOHN MOONEY • Star-Ledger Staff A new state report has laid out in intricate detail how much it should cost to educate a child in New Jersey, from the price of the average teacher to that of textbooks and supplies. The 98-page report released yesterday is at the center of Gov. Jon Corzine's plan to revamp the state's school funding formula to better match the needs of individual students, as opposed to those of districts as a whole. Using data from 2004-05, the report set a total base per-pupil amount of $7,367 for K-8 districts and $8,496 in K-12 districts. It then added thousands more for children with disabilities, from impoverished homes, and with limited English skills. For instance, a child with severe disabilities would cost up to seven times above the base, or nearly $60,000 in a K-12 district. Children of poverty cost about 50 percent more, or almost $13,000. But with an approach that has been widely contested already, the big question remains how much the state and local districts would pay to meet the costs, a critical point in ongoing talks between Corzine and the Legislature to bring down New Jersey's record property taxes. The state's proposed school aid formula is not expected until after the new year, officials said. The new formula will require the Legislature's approval, as well as that of the state Supreme Court, if challenged. In the meantime, the Corzine administration is promoting its approach and has scheduled a series of public hearings for next Monday, including two at Kean University at 3:45 and 7 p.m. "This is just the beginning of the process designed to enhance understanding of the department's work on a new school funding formula, and we are seeking as much public input as possible," state Education Commissioner Lucille Davy said in announcing the hearings. More information on the report and the hearings, including how to register to testify, can be found online at the state department's Web site: http://www.state.nj.us/education/ Advocates and others criticized the report yesterday as based on stale data and hypothetical models that are not in keeping with what happens in actual districts. The models were developed by panels of experts and educators first convened three years ago. For instance, the state's report lays out six district models from which it bases its costs, from small K-8 districts with less than 350 students to large K-12 districts with more than 8,000 students. Within each are the numbers and costs of staff and materials, including the average $61,279 pricetag for a teacher, including benefits. But some critics contend the models do not take into account many of the state's neediest districts, with concentrations of poverty and language challenges that far exceed the state's numbers. "If this goes through, we could have a disaster at the other end," said Irene Sterling, director of the Paterson Education Fund, a non-profit advocacy group. "They are undercounting the true costs, and making it that much harder to put the funding back in." Others questioned if the state's benchmarks for "successful schools" -- another factor in determining the prescribed amounts -- is set too low. More than 300 school districts met the definition, largely set by test scores that reach minimum requirements under the federal No Child Left Behind Act. "The message sent in this is to provide a quality education, but why would you aspire to perform lower than you are now?" said Lynne Strickland, director of the Garden State Coalition of Schools, a group of more than 100 suburban districts. One of Corzine's stated aims with his new formula is to make funding more equitable. Currently, the bulk of the state's funds go to the 31 impoverished cities and towns falling under the state Supreme Court's Abbott v. Burke school equity rulings. But in raising Abbott districts' spending to that of the state's wealthiest schools, middle-income districts and many low-income districts have fallen behind. The state's analysis has found more than 250 communities in the middle -- from Brick to Rahway to Clifton -- falling short as much as $500 million of what the state says is necessary. "I don't think anything we do will be the complete ideal, but this is a sincere attempt to get to a greater level of equity," Davy said. "Everyone wants to know what it means to their district, but we're not there yet." Davy stressed the goal of the upcoming hearings is to get feedback, be it good or bad. "Clearly this is a work in progress," she said. "If there are things we need to do differently, we're prepared to look at that." © 2006 The Star-Ledger. Used by NJ.com with permission.