U.S. Department of Education

Kean: Meager Increase Means More Property Tax Pain
Token Aid Increase Unacceptable After A Five Year Freeze
Senator Tom Kean, R-21, today issued the following statement in response to the Department of Education release of school aid figures for the coming school year:

“The school aid figures are another example of how out of touch the Trenton Democrats have become. After a five-year freeze on aid to most school districts, which cost those districts $2.2 billion, most districts will get a token increase.
Governor Jon Corzine s budget proposal continues the erroneous policies of the past five years. His proposal calls for a 7 percent spending increase in state spending, but many districts will be getting increases of less than 4 percent. The five-year school aid freeze has helped fuel escalating property tax bills. These figure show that this budget will continue that unfortunate trend.
Many homeowners will pay a steep price this year for the persistent delays in adopting a new school aid formula that is fair to all students and property taxpayers. A new formula was supposedly the top priority for the Governor and the Special Legislative session. Instead of a new method for distributing school aid, we got a potentially unsustainable scheme designed to get them through an election year.�
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BUONO: NO SURRENDER ON SCHOOL AID FORMULA

TRENTON - Senator Barbara Buono today said the State should continue seeking an accord on a new school aid formula to help suburban districts who have been hurt by flat funding for the last five years.

"This is no time to surrender on finding a new school aid formula," said Senator Buono, D-Middlesex. "I've heard too many horror stories from concerned parents to give up at this point."

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INACTION ON ABBOTT WASTE INSULTS TAXPAYERS
Reckless Spending Goes on Unchecked by Trenton Democrats

Senate Republican Budget Officer Robert E. Littell (R-Sussex/Morris/Hunterdon) issued the following statement regarding to reports that Abbott school districts spent monies with little in-house oversight and controls according to audits released by the Department of Education.

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ROBERTS: CAMDEN SCHOOLS AUDIT UNDERSCORES NEED FOR STRONGER COUNTY SUPERINTENDENTS
Lawmaker Outlines Action Plan to Rein in City School District's Lax Spending Practices;
Calls for AG to Recoup Costs & New Schools Superintendent with Accounting Credentials

(CAMDEN) - Assembly Speaker Joseph J. Roberts Jr. said this week's disturbing revelations of financial irregularities in the Camden public schools system underscores the necessity of the Senate approving legislation that would create a new system of county school superintendents with broadened oversight powers to fight dubious expenditures.

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ABBOTT SPENDING OUT OF CONTROL
School Aid Frozen While Democrats Permit $1,795 Jukebox Purchase

Senator Anthony Bucco (R-Morris) reacted with dismay to media reports that four Abbott school districts spent monies with little in-house oversight and controls according to audits released by the Department of Education.

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BUONO CALLS UPON FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TO KEEP TITLE IX INTACT

TRENTON - The State Senate today approved a resolution sponsored by Senator Barbara Buono that urges the US Department of Education to refrain from weakening federal Title IX statutes.

"Title IX has been critical in ensuring that women have access to athletics programs at American colleges and universities for the past 35 years," said Senator Buono, D-Middlesex. "The US Department of Education's decision to weaken these protections opens the door for some schools to reinstitutionalize discrimination in sports."

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TURNER MEASURE TO ALLOW STUDENTS TO SELF-ADMINISTER EMERGENCY EPINEPHRINE RECEIVES FINAL APPROVAL

TRENTON - Senator Shirley K. Turner welcomed final legislative approval for her legislation that would expand the list of those individuals authorized to administer emergency epinephrine at a school to include more school personnel and the allergic students themselves as it passed the Assembly today.

"When an allergic reaction can go from manageable to disastrous in a matter of minutes, the timely administration of epinephrine can be the difference between life and death," said Senator Turner, D-Mercer and Chair of the Senate Education Committee. "It makes no sense to prevent children who face the threat of anaphylactic shock every day from using an 'epi-pen' when necessary."

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FISHER/CONAWAY MEASURE TO COMBAT 'HUFFING'
CLEARS COMMITTEE
Measure Would Make It A Crime To Sell Aerosol Dusters To Children

(TRENTON) -- The Assembly Law and Public Safety Committee today approved legislation Assemblymen Douglas H. Fisher and Herbert Conaway, M.D., sponsored to deter youngsters from inhaling common household items such as aerosol dusters to get high.

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CARDINALE AND WOLFE SAY SCHOOL FUNDING REFORM REPORT MISSES THE MARK IN KEY AREAS

MINORITY REPORT CALLS FOR EQUITABLE SCHOOL FUNDING FORMULA, LESS COURT INVOLVEMENT, AND GREATER FISCAL ACCOUNTABILITY

The Republican members of the Joint Legislative Committee on Public School Funding Reform today said that the final report issued by that committee failed to confront critical state spending issues that have deprived hundreds of school districts of adequate funding in recent years leading to an explosion in local property tax bills.

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GOVERNOR ANNOUNCES SCHOOL SAFETY INITIATIVE
SAVE: Strategic Actions for Violence Elimination

TRENTON

- Governor Jon S. Corzine today announced SAVE: Strategic Actions for Violence Elimination, a new school security initiative that focuses on the need for a stronger collaboration between school officials, law enforcement and the community. Read More >