Cutting School Aid a Solution for High NJ Taxes?
From Newsday NY:
Democrats push to end special treatment for poor, urban schools
Democrats push to end special treatment for poor, urban schools
Lawmakers plan to develop a new school funding formula that ends special treatment for poor, urban schools, two Democrats said Tuesday as legislators continued debating how to cut New Jersey's highest-in-the-nation property taxes.
Such a plan would end years of disputes over state funding disparities between suburban, rural and city schools, but also would have to pass muster with a state Supreme Court ruling that has demanded equality between poor and wealthy schools.
Sen. John Adler and Assemblyman Herb Conaway, co-chairmen of a special committee mulling school funding as part of property tax reform talks, said their goal is to develop a funding formula that can imposed upon every school district, no matter its locale.
"It doesn't seem like a crazy idea to treat people fairly wherever they live," said Adler, D-Camden.
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"We could move to a unified system, but in order to do that the Legislature has a very heavy burden," Sciarra said. "They're going to have to come up with proof it will deliver the level of resources needed by all students in the state."
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Those districts have about 22 percent of the state's student population, but they get about 55 percent of all state school aid.
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"We'll treat kids fairly no matter where they happen to live," Adler said. "That's at least an achievable goal. That's all the courts have been telling us to do for a long time."
The Supreme Court ruling stems from concerns that children in poor city schools don't receive the same quality of education as those in wealthy suburban schools.
It requires the state to provide substantial aid to 31 districts designated as needing special help so their funding is equal to the state's richest school districts.
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I have no affiliation with the below site, nor do I know who they are, I'm just posting the link:
NJ TAX SOLUTION: AX 14,000 STATE JOBS!
New Jersey government is broke. So are most of New Jersey’s taxpayers.
So what to do? Downsize state government so more and more workers, families and businesses will not continue to flee from the Garden State’s most taxed state in the nation.
New Jersey’s property taxes are twice the national average. Housing costs are more than 50 percent higher. Health care, auto insurance and utility costs also are substantially higher in New Jersey.
New Jersey’s leading economist, Jim Hughes of Rutgers University, said New Jersey’s economy is in its worst condition since the Great Depression of the 1930s.
So what does New Jersey’s government do? Increase the state budget by some $2 billion, instead of cutting it by $2 billion. Add to that a 3.5 percent increase in business taxes and an 18 percent increase in the state’s sales tax and scores of other hidden taxes and state fees, and what you have is an economy and a state government on the brink of bankruptcy.
The solution? Downsize government like the private sector does every day to survive in a competitive global economy. If businesses, workers and taxpayers can downsize to survive, so must government.
As a 68-year-old born and bred native of New Jersey, I am absolutely ashamed of my home state. What is happening in our stupid, selfish government only increases the number of “Jersey Jokes” by comedians and talk show hosts on national radio and television, as well as the declining print media.
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There’s hope on the horizon. Three Jersey Shore lawmakers have proposed a logical and sensible solution to their state’s sinking ship: Eliminate some 14,000 state jobs and save cash – lots of cash, at least a half-billion dollars.
The average salary and benefits of a state employee is $ 68,427. By eliminating some 14,000 bureaucrats in all state departments, from agriculture to treasury over a four-year period, the state can reduce the oppressively heavy burden on our workers and families.
From MSN/BusinessWeek:
When will the tsunami of foreclosures hit?
With millions of adjustable-rate mortgages about to reset this fall, experts expect a wave of foreclosures by Americans in every income bracket. Here's why they could soar in late 2006 and beyond.
Those easy-mortgage chickens are coming home to roost.
This fall the adjustable-rate mortgages (ARMs) that millions of Americans took out during the recent housing boom will be reset, and many homeowners will see their monthly mortgage payments shoot up by as much as 20%. According to the Mortgage Bankers Association, of all mortgages financed in 2005, 36% were ARMs -- the highest ever.
Yes, cut the jobs. Make every department in the state reduce all costs by 20%. Combine departments, freeze wages, and eliminate waste.
Do we really need so many DMV offices? Can't we lower car registration costs by closing inspection stations and transfering that service to private garages?
If our leaders can't figure out how to do more with less, let's get new leaders. If State employees can't get by on their present salaries for the next few years, let them get new jobs. Enough is enough.
Well, this is what democratic party offers. Tax hikes and big government. You voted for it, don't complain.
when corzine mase his tough talk speech after being elected ( belt tightening) i thought there might be hope but after the budget came out its obvious he's not going to run the government like a business.
GM, Ford, Intel, on and on are all cutting jobs to right the ship. N.J. has to do the same
this is NJ the welfare state.
Keep spending.
we have not seen anything yet.
wait, it gets better.
wait till you see the bill
for xandau.
Today was the first day of school and the NJEA started their assault of TV ads. Everytime I see a NJEA tv ad I grap my wallet because tax increases are just around the corner. Everytime I heard "we are here for the children" = bend over here it comes.
"wait till you see the bill
for xandau."
This fellow is correct.
NJ hasn't seen anything yet. Its going to get alot worse before it gets better.
If you live in NJ, you better plan on working your whole life.
SAS
Hey, Republicans share responsibility in this mess, too, Democrat-bashers. If Whitman didn't go to DC to help Bush f*ck up this country royal, this mess would have been on her shoulders. Bank on it. Meanwhile, borrow and spend, which is the GOP way, doesn't sound all that much better than tax and spend.
Please don't mention Bush when talking about NJ. Corzine is in charge, Democrats wanted their people, so they got what they wished for. If you think the Republicans created this mess, then tell me what the Democrats are going to do to fix it.
don't forget to thank mcgreevey
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