Redistributes $300M to schools that had funding slashed Watch video
Children in the 4-year-old summer preschool at Eugenio Maria de Hostos Center in Union City put away blocks with teacher Juana Chapman, right, in this July 2010 file photo. A proposal being pushed by Senate Republicans would shift state money to cash-strapped suburban districts by cutting back preschool for the state’s neediest students, according to a document obtained by The Star-Ledger.
The senators suggest slicing preschool funding in half — reducing programs from a full-day to a half-day — then using the $300 million saved to boost funding for suburban and rural schools, some of which saw their state aid wiped out in last year’s budget cuts.
Under the proposal, districts would also qualify for more state funding if they bus students greater distances or have large populations of senior citizens. There would also be a $30 million grant program to promote accountability in urban schools and $50 million to schools that demonstrate the most efficiency.
Two people with knowledge of the proposal, but can not speak publicly because they are not authorized to, said the proposal was devised by the Senate Republican caucus and submitted to Gov. Chris Christie. They emphasized that no plan has been finalized, saying negotiations are ongoing. Christie has not detailed his own school funding proposal.
Democrats quickly criticized the proposal, saying it will hurt the state’s poor.
"I’m all for funding suburban schools," Sen. Paul Sarlo (D-Bergen) said. "But don’t do it at the expense of innocent preschool kids in urban areas."
Michael Drewniak, a spokesman for the governor, declined comment. Christie has said he wants to change the school funding formula, created under former Gov. Jon Corzine’s administration, in the next budget, which he is scheduled to unveil on Feb. 22. At a recent town hall meeting Christie said it’s "crazy" that "nearly 60 percent of all state aid goes to 31 [urban] districts."
However, the Senate Republicans’ proposal does not change the formula itself. Some lawmakers said it would be too difficult to push such changes through the Democratic-controlled Legislature while ensuring it survives an inevitable legal challenge, given that the current formula has been upheld by the state Supreme Court.
Sen. Thomas Kean Jr. (R-Union) said new policies must emphasize education efficiencies since the state is facing another difficult budget.
"How do we effectively and affordably educate children in our state?" he said.
At the root of Senate Republicans’ proposal are choices made more than a decade ago. A 1998 state Supreme Court decision forced the state to fund a half day of preschool for children in the state’s poorest districts. But then-Gov. Christie Whitman decided to one up the court, funding full days instead.
Sen. Michael Doherty (R-Warren) said it’s time to pare back that commitment to the court’s original mandate, helping balance funding between urban and suburban districts. Although part of his district is considered wealthy, some schools still don’t get the funding they deserve, he said.
"It’s very unfair," Doherty added. Urban school districts have received far more state support over the years because they lack strong local tax bases.
Others question why the state would boost funding for suburban districts by dismantling a preschool program that research shows helps close the achievement gap between black and white students — a task Christie has said he considers a top priority.
"Our preschool program is the most effective education reform we have," said David Sciarra, executive director of the Education Law Center. "Cutting preschool would be a major setback."
A 2006 study conducted by the National Institute for Early Education Research at Rutgers University found children who attended an extended-day, extended-year pre-school program in Elizabeth experienced greater improvement in test scores compared to peers who attended half-day programs.
Sen. Raymond Lesniak (D-Union) said it’s "outrageous" that Republican initiatives would be funded by cutting back preschool programs.
"Every study anywhere demonstrates that the money invested early on for these children will pay dividends for society," he said. "That’s to the benefit of all of us."
Lynne Strickland, executive director of the Garden State Coalition of Schools, said she is encouraged that state lawmakers are looking for ways to fund the suburban districts she represents, but hopes the discussion will continue at a "higher plane of debate."
"I wouldn’t want suburban districts seen as wanting to rob Peter to pay Paul and get much-needed additional money in their coffers," Strickland said. "That’s a difficult position to be put in, and one we shouldn’t have to respond to."
By Jessica Calefati and Chris Megerian/The Star-Ledger