NJASA

TRENTON, N.J., March 16, 2010 – Everyone wants the best education for children, but with the state struggling to balance its budget, and its decreasing ability to fund public school programs, parents, educators and school administrators are about to face cuts and reduced services like they have never before seen in the New Jersey public school system, according to the New Jersey Association of School Administrators (NJASA).   

Governor Christie is expected to announce in his budget address on March 16 that more than $800 million in state aid will be cut from K-12 public schools. This follows his February announcement of a cut of $475 million in aid to schools to balance the state budget. Although the method he proposes to follow for the additional cuts is controversial and may be legally challenged, such deep cuts will nevertheless ensure that parents and taxpayers will pay more for fewer school-provided services, according to NJASA.

“Certain cost increases are outside our control,” notes Dr. Richard Bozza, NJASA executive director. “Even with no new programs, expenses will increase due to a combination of higher replacement costs from inflation, cost-of-living increases and existing salary contract commitments.” To compensate, he notes, the only alternatives open to most districts are cuts in both academic and extracurricular programs and freezes on any new hiring, potentially affecting class sizes.

• Privatization of non-educational services. Districts will look at private alternatives for support services including transportation, custodial, nursing and cafeteria services.
• Fees for services. Parents will be asked to provide the extra funding needed to support student participation in ongoing programs. This may include athletic uniform, field trip and club activity fees.
• Decreased services. Schools will consider eliminating popular but less critical services such as cocurricular activities, junior varsity programs, and some language, art and music programs.
• Increased class size. Teaching salaries continue to be the largest portion of a district’s budget and schools will try to reduce staff through attrition and increased use of current staffing allocations.
• Diminished support services. Guidance counselor and other administrator positions may also be cut.

Bozza states: “The budget decision has been made in Trenton, but the tough decisions are made at the school board level. Each community will be affected differently, but without a doubt, most districts will have to consider layoffs and program cuts.” He encourages parents to stay involved in the decision-making process because program cuts need to reflect local priorities.

Bozza characterizes the issue as a clash of high educational expectations with a lack of resources to meet those expectations. It’s the reason that strong leadership is so important at the Chief Education Officer level, he notes. Some districts may look to raise taxes, but it appears that ability will be limited, partly by the governor’s recommendation to cap property taxes. “There is no one formula by which to respond, as New Jersey’s school districts are so diverse. But one thing will be of importance across each – finding the options that are least detrimental to New Jersey’s high standard of education while meeting the mandated budget cuts.”

About NJASA: The New Jersey Association of School Administrators is an organization of Chief Education Officers and school administrators who lead school districts in New Jersey’s 21 counties. The Association’s mission is to ensure a superior statewide system of education. Through ongoing professional training and education, the association shares knowledge among its members about best practices both an educational and administrative perspective. NJASA’s goal is to move education forward by ensuring the highest quality of instruction for all New Jersey’s children.

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