Jackson wants answers on school state aid
Superintendent: There is no rhyme or reason for small increase
BY DAVE BENJAMIN Staff Writer
The Jackson School District may be taking another school funding hit from the state. After several years of flat state aid, the district is responding to news that it will receive only the minimum increase provided for in a new proposed school funding formula.

"Under a new funding formula introduced by Gov. Jon Corzine two weeks ago, approximately $7.8 billion will be distributed for K-12 education for the 2009 fiscal year," Jackson Superintendent of Schools Thomas Gialanella said at the Dec. 18 meeting of the Jackson Board of Education. "That is an increase of approximately $530 million" from the present year.

According to the new funding plan, every school district will receive an increase in state aid of at least 2 percent during the first year (2008-09 school year) and no district will see a decrease in its total state aid during the first three years of the program.

In subsequent years decreases in state aid could be based on a number of factors, the superintendent said.

"There are many elements to the formula, but one of the primary building blocks for the new model is something the state calls an Adequacy Formula, which takes into account enrollment, income-property value, at-risk students, (the students') English proficiency, special-education and grade-level configurations," Gialanella said.

"According to the state, in general, the formula benefits districts that are currently spending under adequacy, districts that are covering more than their local fair share and districts that have experienced increases in enrollment," he told the board.

Gialanella said the reality for Jackson is significantly different and said it is his belief that the proposed funding formula is flawed with respect to what the Jackson school district deserves in the way of state aid.

He pointed to a chart that indicated anticipated funding increases for school districts in this area compared to enrollment in those districts and said the chart illustrated the percentage of increased state aid under the funding formula for Jackson and for he surrounding districts.

The enrollment increases or decreases noted for each school district are over the past seven years.

• The Freehold Regional High School District has had a student increase of 29 percent and will receive a 20 percent increase in state aid for 2008-09.

• The Plumsted School District has had a student increase of 22 percent and will receive a 20 percent increase in state aid for 2008-09.

• The Jackson School District has had a student increase of 19 percent and will receive a 2 percent increase in state aid for 2008-09.

• The Millstone Township School District has had a student increase of 19 percent and will receive a 10 percent increase in state aid for 2008-09.

• The Lakewood School District has had a student increase of 12 percent and will receive a 20 percent increase in state aid for 2008-09.

• The Freehold Township School District has had a student increase of 12 percent and will receive a 10 percent increase in state aid for 2008-09.

• The Toms River School District has had a student decrease of 2 percent and will receive a 2 percent increase in state aid for 2008-09.

• The Howell School District has had a student decrease of 4 percent and will receive a 10 percent increase in state aid for 2008-09.

• The Brick Township School District has had a student decrease of 7 percent and will receive a 2 percent increase in state aid for 2008-09.

"This list is done in order of enrollment increases seen over the last seven years," Gialanella said. "If you remove Jackson from the list, it would appear there is at least some kind of rhyme or reason to the way state aid is distributed. However, once we examine Jackson's figure, an increase of 2 percent (in state aid) despite an enrollment increase of 19 percent, that rhyme or reason appears to disintegrate.

"According to the data presented by the state, our figure appears to be skewed because the wealth of Jackson has increased significantly in recent years," the superintendent said. "Even in light of this, our enrollment changes and the fact that we have been devastated by six years worth of static state aid while we have endured those (enrollment) changes is still a point that needs to be addressed."

District administrators may argue that state aid for school districts, especially with regard to special education aid, should be distributed on a per pupil, categorical basis without regard to a community's wealth, a position held and released by the New Jersey School Boards Association, Gialanella said.

"According to the NJSBA, if this is to be a formula under which money follows the services our children need, then it would be consistent for special education aid to be allocated per student regardless of where they live and without wealth equalization," he said.

Gialanella said he has already met with administrators from other school districts who are slated to receive what appears to be disproportionate aid under the parameters of the new funding formula. He said he hopes to have more information on how to rectify the inequity at an upcoming board meeting.

Corzine has been pushing the state Legislature to adopt the new school funding formula by the end of the present session, which will conclude on Jan. 8.

John Zlock, a spokesman for the New Jersey Department of Education, referred questions about the new school funding formula to the department's Web site.

Yut'se Thomas, director of the department's Division of Finance, was not available to respond to questions concerning the new school funding formula.

The new school funding formula as written is based on a school district's enrollment, a community's wealth and other factors, according to the department.