Education Funding

Funding Formula Revised in N.J.

By Catherine Gewertz — February 05, 2008 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

The following offers highlights of the recent legislative sessions. Precollegiate enrollment figures are based on fall 2006 data reported by state officials for public elementary and secondary schools. The figures for precollegiate education spending do not include federal flowthrough funds, unless noted.

Just before their 2007-08 legislative session ended in January 2008, New Jersey lawmakers approved a new school funding formula advocated by Gov. Jon Corzine. The governor, a Democrat, signed the measure shortly afterward, but the plan’s implementation is likely to be complicated by legal challenges. (“New Funding Formula in N.J. Faces Hurdles,” Jan. 16, 2008.)

Gov. Jon Corzine
Democrat
Senate:
22 Democrats
18 Republicans
House:
50 Democrats
30 Republicans
Enrollment:
1.4 million

The funding formula was the dominant education issue in the Garden State’s legislature in 2007. Other highlights included the addition of a county schools superintendent in each of the state’s 21 counties. Created by a law that took effect in April, the new “super superintendents” have broad power over the 616 local districts’ budgets, including line-item-veto authority and the right to review contracts for top administrators.

They also are obligated to submit consolidation plans, which would be subject to voter approval, including merging elementary or high school districts into K-12 districts. The county superintendents are nominated by the governor and confirmed by the state Senate. Not all had yet been nominated or confirmed by early 2008.

Gov. Corzine also signed into law last year a measure that places a 4 percent cap on how much a district can raise its local property-tax levy to pay for schools. Any proposed increase above that now requires a “supermajority” of 60 percent voter approval.

New Jersey legislators approved a fiscal 2008 budget of $33.5 billion, including $7.3 billion for precollegiate education, a 2.9 percent increase over the previous fiscal year.

See Also

See other stories on education issues in New Jersey. See data on New Jersey’s public school system.

A version of this article appeared in the February 06, 2008 edition of Education Week

Events

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Equity & Diversity Webinar
Classroom Strategies for Building Equity and Student Confidence
Shape equity, confidence, and success for your middle school students. Join the discussion and Q&A for proven strategies.
Content provided by Project Lead The Way
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Professional Development Webinar
Disrupting PD Day in Schools with Continuous Professional Learning Experiences
Hear how this NC School District achieved district-wide change by shifting from traditional PD days to year-long professional learning cycles
Content provided by BetterLesson
Jobs Virtual Career Fair for Teachers and K-12 Staff
Find teaching jobs and other jobs in K-12 education at the EdWeek Top School Jobs virtual career fair.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Education Funding 4 Ways States Are Trying to Fix How They Fund Schools
Advocates in many places are pushing for reforms that precisely target more robust aid to schools and students in need.
6 min read
one woman and two men with a large calculator and next to large stacks of bills and coins.
DigitalVision Vectors/Getty
Education Funding Pennsylvania School Funding Is Unconstitutional, Judge Says. Here's What Could Happen Next
An appeal could be on the way, but advocates are already gearing up to make the case for funding reform.
6 min read
Stock image of a gavel on top of a pile of money.
iStock/Getty Images
Education Funding 6 Lawsuits That Could Shake Up How States Pay for Schools
Far removed from annual budgets, these lawsuits hold the potential to force states to direct more funds to their schools.
6 min read
Large white hand holding a weighing scale with a bag of money on one side and books with floating letters on the other side showing a balance of knowledge and money
iStock/Getty
Education Funding States Are Rolling in Surplus Cash, But It's Not All Good News for Schools
Some states are ramping up education spending, while others are leaving districts disappointed.
7 min read
Illustration of a man holding oversized money.
Nuthawut Somsuk/iStock/Getty