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Saturday, March 08, 2008 • BY JOHN MOONEY • Star-Ledger Staff

Between the cuts in his proposed budget and his plan to hike highway tolls, Gov. Jon Corzine has been getting a lot of rough public receptions of late.

Yesterday, he found a friendlier audience in the state's school superintendents, who were largely spared and, in some cases, are in for a sizable increase in state aid.

Corzine spoke before about 200 school superintendents at their annual meeting, the first appearance by a governor in years.

"Let's make no mistake: $614 million more will be expended on education this year than last," Corzine told the assembly at New Brunswick's McKinley Community School. "While every other element of the budget (has seen cuts) ... education is coming away as a high priority."

By and large, superintendents appeared to recognize their good fortune in an otherwise dismal fiscal year. Corzine has proposed massive highway toll hikes to pay off the state's debt and a state budget with more than $1 billion in cuts.

The superintendents gave Corzine a warm greeting at the start and even warmer standing ovation at the close of his 45-minute remarks.

"I think we all realize there is a financial crisis in the state," said New Brunswick Superintendent Richard Kaplan, president of the association. "I don't think you can listen to this governor and not hear his sincerity and compassion for the children."

The superintendent of Kearny schools said his own local budget plan calls for no tax increase at all, something he credited to increased aid from the state. Edison's school budget will call for an $82 increase per household.

"That is the first time under $100," acting Superintendent John A. DiMuzio told Corzine. "I just want to say thank you."

Still, there was grumbling in some quarters, lingering resentment over Corzine's wholesale reform that shifts much of the state's school aid to districts with rising low-income and other special needs populations.

Superintendents in some districts voiced concern about new rules that force districts to return good portions of the increase to taxpayers if they are spending more per pupil than the state deems adequate.

Berkeley Heights schools, for example, are getting 10 percent more aid after five years of flat funding. But that amounts to just $196,000 in a $35 million budget.

"And so much of that has to go back to the taxpayers because they say we are spending over what they say is adequacy," said superintendent Judith Rattner.

Others worried about impending school mergers that Corzine said will be necessary, and the side-effects of Corzine's proposed cuts in municipal aid. Local officials may look to schools, superintendents said, to offset their cuts and subsequent property tax increases.

Corzine said he hoped municipalities and schools would work in concert, and overall, property taxpayers should stand to benefit. He noted he would not be "very tolerant about rising property tax bills."

"We are giving way more to education than we are taking away from municipalities," he said.

Corzine's receptive audience: School supers

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