Repeal NJ S.1701 - The Education Budget Cap and Oversight Law

To:  Richard Cody, President NJ Senate, James McGreevey, Governor, Bernard F. Kenny, Jr., Majority Leader

Over the summer the New Jersey Senate passed and Governor McGreevey signed into law S-1701 the Education Budget Cap and Oversight Law. This law mandates that the annual School Board budget increase be no more than the higher of 2.5% or the cost of living increase. It also reduces allowable School Board reserves from 6% to 2% and gives the County Superintendent’s of Education the power to veto the school budget and the Commissioner of Education the power to veto line item transfers.

This new law undermines the valuable locally controlled quality education system many people benefit from here in New Jersey. It places local school districts in an economic vise providing little control or discretion for locally elected School Boards. These low caps permanently lock in teacher salary discrepancies between districts with lower paying districts never having the chance to catch up while also ensuring they fall further and further behind creating a two-tiered teacher salary structure in New Jersey.

It is not appropriate, nor is it administratively efficient, to create a whole additional layer of administrative oversight for school budgets by providing veto power to the County Superintendents and line item veto power to the Commissioner of Education. Finally, reducing reserves to 2% makes smaller School Districts vulnerable to unexpected expenses that undermine whole budgets. Borrowing to meet operating expenses is not an appropriate funding policy.

By signing the petition below you agree that the State Senate should immediately repeal law S.1701 and Governor McGreevey should sign this repeal into law.

Sincerely,

The Undersigned

The Repeal NJ S.1701 - The Education Budget Cap and Oversight Law Petition to Richard Cody, President NJ Senate, James McGreevey, Governor, Bernard F. Kenny, Jr., Majority Leader was created by and written by William England (williamsengland@aol.com).  This petition is hosted here at www.PetitionOnline.com as a public service. There is no endorsement of this petition, express or implied, by Artifice, Inc. or our sponsors. For technical support please use our simple Petition Help form.

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