Assembly Education Committee Chaired by Caride to Convene Hearings
(TRENTON) – New Jersey Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto on Tuesday announced the Assembly Education Committee on Jan. 18 will convene the first of several hearings on New Jersey school funding as the Assembly looks to improve on the never-fully funded school funding formula.
“Concerns about school funding in communities across the state have gone on far too long without being resolved,” said Prieto (D-Hudson/Bergen). “It’s unacceptable that state government has gone years without properly funding a constitutional school funding formula, hurting both children and property taxpayers. It’s time to revisit that process, but we need input and opinions from experts and taxpayers across the state. If this was an easy fix, it would have been done a long time ago, but the Assembly is ready to start the hard work of finding a solution that’s fair to taxpayers, school districts and children across the state.”
The Assembly Education Committee will hear from education experts during its Wednesday, Jan. 18 hearing. It will then hold three public hearings across the state, one in each region. The three public hearings will be held at hours convenient for the public to attend.
“This is about educating all our children and providing fairness to taxpayers,” Prieto said. “All children deserve a quality education and all property taxpayers deserve relief. ”
More details on those three public hearings will be announced shortly.
“The Assembly Education Committee is ready to hear from education experts and taxpayers throughout New Jersey,” said Assembly Education Chairwoman Marlene Caride (D-Bergen/Passaic). “I appreciate Speaker Prieto’s confidence in our ability to gather this input and begin work on this complex but necessary task. Fair funding for all schools throughout the New Jersey is a must. This is all about the future of children and our state and helping long-struggling taxpayers.”
Among those who will be invited to testify at the Jan. 18 hearing: the New Jersey School Boards Association, the New Jersey Association of School Administrators, the New Jersey Association of School Business Officials, the New Jersey Principals and Supervisors Association, the Garden State Coalition of Schools, the New Jersey Council of County Vocational Schools, the New Jersey Education Association, the American Federation of Teachers New Jersey, the Education Law Center, Save Our Schools NJ, the Statewide Parent Advocacy Network of New Jersey and Advocates for Children of New Jersey.
“We are not predetermining any outcome, but whatever is proposed will be constitutional, involve the elected representatives of the people of New Jersey and fully fund all school districts throughout the state, no matter their location or economic status,” Prieto said. “The status quo is unfair and unacceptable. We all know it, but we can and will do better, and I am fully confident in the Assembly Education Committee’s ability to get this done.”