School funding plan gets cautious greeting from district officials

By Eileen Oldfield Staff Writer
   Gov. Jon Corzine’s proposed new school funding formula, if approved by the Legislature, could bring Hillsborough an additional $4,205,000 in state funding for the 2008 to 2009 school year.
   But Superintendent of Schools Edward Forsthoffer said he is cautious about conditions the state may set dictating how the money can be used.
   ”It could help in many ways, including decreasing the effect of spending, maintenance of programs, enhancement of programs and facilities,” said Dr. Forsthoffer. “We will need to wait to see what limitations are put on the spending and where our needs are after we craft the budget.”
   The new formula, unveiled by the governor on Dec. 12, would allot $25,228,000 in state aid for Hillsborough’s various programs, compared to the $21,023,000 the district received this year.
   Under the proposed formula unveiled by Gov. Jon Corzine, approximately $7.8 billion will be distributed statewide for kindergarten through 12th-grade education in the 2008 to 2009 school year.
   All districts would get at least a 2 percent increase in aid, with the maximum increase set a 20 percent. Hillsborough received the maximum 20 percent increase available.
   According to the Department of Education, the formula calculations are based on the money each district should spend to enable students to attain New Jersey’s educational standards. Base amounts are set for elementary school students, and increase as students move to middle and high school. Additional weights are added to the system for low-income students, students who have limited English proficiency, and special education students.
   Under the plan, all districts will receive a 2 percent state aid increase in the formula’s first year, with no districts seeing a decrease in aid during the program’s first three years. The Department of Education said that decreases in aid would occur when school enrollment declines.
   The governor’s plan also needs to win approval in the Legislature before the end of the current legislative session Jan. 8. In making the announcement at a Burlington Township press conference, Gov. Corzine said the plan would increase state aid to schools in the state by $514 million.
   ”Over the last year, parents and educators have been telling me they want more for students and they are passionate,” Gov. Corzine said in a news release. “Today we unveil a new school funding formula that gives all of our children in all of our communities the opportunity to succeed. It is balanced, unified and equitable and it provides significant relief to local property taxpayers, who for decades have shouldered the important yet growing cost of education.”