Jackson School Board Candidates Discuss New Jersey Education Funding

What is your opinion of current New Jersey State funding levels for Jackson’s schools?

Adam Silvan: The funding formula for the State of New Jersey takes into account many things, including enrollment, number of special education and “at risk” children and our districts wealth as compared to other communities in the State.  While I do understand that a formula must be used to make things “fair” to all districts in the State, I do not agree with the amount of aid that is sent to each specific school district.

Tracey Murnane: I believe Jackson is underfunded given the size and diverse economic realities of the town.

Theresa Schiazza: The state funding formula continues to be a controversial and complex issue for debate.   The state has disbursed $7.8 billion in educational funds for the 2012/13 school year.  If one was to look at all students / all districts equally – yes, we are underfunded.  The reality of the situation is; out of the 580 districts who received state aid, 14 top- funded districts were allocated $3.6 billion of the state funding.  The balance, $4.2 billion was formulated and disbursed among the remaining districts.

The State Administration is actively developing programs and systems to reduce the performance gap, pilot reforms and improve performance in all “at-risk” districts. It’s the environment of our state, one I hope improves in the very near future.  As a Board Member and resident of Jackson, I am cognizant of the high level of taxes in our community.  I will continue to work diligently to ensure each educational dollar is allocated and spent wisely.
Due to a death in his immediate family, Marvin Krakower was unable to respond to this question at the time it was asked.

Posted by Ocean County News on Oct 21 2012. Filed under Jackson, Politics, Schools. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.