By Matt Chiappardi, Staff Writer
If a new school funding formula proposed by Gov. Jon Corzine is approved by the state Legislature, the East Windsor Regional School District could see about $1.8 million more in state aid next year.
The governor unveiled the new formula Wednesday, stating it “replaces the outdated, ad-hoc state aid system that currently exists.”
A fact sheet on the new formula released by the state DOE states that the former 26 aid categories would be collapsed into 10, and “similarly situated” students — for example, those categorized as limited English proficiency students or labeled as at-risk — would be assumed to need the same resources regardless of the overall wealth of the area in which they live.
At East Windsor Regional, the new formula would mean a 10 percent increase in state aid next year, compared to a 4.4 percent increase last year, bringing the 2008-2009 total aid to $19.6 million.
That makes Superintendent Ron Bolandi cautiously optimistic.
”I’m really happy the revenue side is going up, but my only reservation is the cap because that’s what hurt us last year,” he said.
Last year the district found its budget about $4 million short as a result of a change in how districts’ base budgets are calculated. Under the old law, base budgets were calculated by expenditures, but a new law changed that to tax levies.
The new aid formula has no effect on the cap, DOE Commissioner Lucille Davy said during a conference call with reporters Wednesday.
However, two identical bills introduced in early November by lame-duck legislators, Sen. Ellen Karcher and Assemblyman Michael Panter, would, if passed, allow affected districts to replenish their budgets by the amount of money they lost from last year’s change in cap calculations.
The governor’s proposed formula also encourages all school districts to move to an all-day kindergarten by funding it with the state aid.
During last year’s local budget process, East Windsor Regional attempted to implement an all-day kindergarten that would have cost $1.5 million and added seven teaching slots. The district presented that proposal to voters as an additional budget referendum question, and it was defeated.
As for adding full-day kindergarten to the curriculum next year, Mr. Bolandi said district officials haven’t yet begun to discuss the specifics of the 2008-2009 budget, and won’t do so until January. However, he indicated he’s reluctant to dredge the issue again.
”After last year’s overwhelming defeat I have reservations,” he said.
Statewide, the Department of Education plans to dole out $7.8 billion across the nearly 600 public school districts, an increase of about $530 million from last year.
All districts would see at least a 2 percent increase in state aid under the new plan, and no districts would have their aid decreased over the next three years, according to the state Department of Education.
Compared to the other public school districts that serve Mercer County, East Windsor Regional is one of two districts getting a potential 10 percent hike. The other is West Windsor- Plainsboro Regional. The districts in Ewing, Hamilton and Robbinsville would get 20 percent increases. The rest would receive the minimum 2 percent hike.
State officials indicated they will seek approval from the Legislature before this session ends Jan 8.

