Issue Position: Education Reform

Issue Position

Over one-third of all tax revenue is allocated for education. Yet, nearly 60% of those funds go to 31 school districts, with the remaining money distributed amongst the 546 other districts. The vast majority of funds are being generated by property taxes in suburban municipalities, but tens of thousands of dollars per pupil are being spent in a few select urban districts, leaving the tax-burdened districts with only a few hundred dollars per pupil. While inner city schools face additional funding needs due to high rates of ESL and special needs students, this disparity is patently unfair and grossly mismanaged.

Governor Christie recently introduced his "fairness formula," which would provide a flat rate of $6,599 for each student throughout the state, regardless of district. This is a fairly extreme approach, but it does recognize the frustrations felt in the suburbs and the need for a new allocation of resources. While exorbitant amounts of money are being spent in our biggest cities, graduation rates and achievement metrics have not substantially improved. Rather than throw money at the schools in these cities, the underlying causes of poverty, high crime rates, gang activity, unemployment, and fragmented families need to be addressed. In the interim, no amount of education funding is going to dramatically improve our urban centers or student achievement rates. Instead of creating a flat rate for education aid, a "fairer formula" could ameliorate some of the challenges faced by suburban schools, where teachers are too often required to spend thousands of dollars out of pocket for basic supplies such as pencils, art supplies, and other educational materials, and reduce property taxpayer burdens throughout the state.

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