Cuts to Public Education May be Too Deep

TRENTON: NEW JERSEY STAR LEDGER REPORT — State lawyers call last month’s report on school funding cuts a useless and narrow-minded assessment, but advocates for poor students say it’s an incisive condemnation of New Jersey’s failure to support its neediest kids.
The two sides made these arguments in new briefs filed today in the latest installment of the long-running Abbott vs. Burke school funding saga. Both sides are gearing up for the April 20 hearing before the state Supreme Court in a case with far-reaching consequences for the state’s schools and budget.
The Newark-based Education Law Center asks the state’s highest court to force Gov. Chris Christie and lawmakers to spend more on schools. It says the state underfunded schools by $1.6 billion last year and violated the state constitution’s mandate to "provide a thorough and efficient system" of public schools.
The state has pleaded poverty, saying its precarious fiscal situation prevents it from fully funding the formula approved by the court in 2009. It also says the formula is overly generous since it was created right before the economic crash.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE:

• N.J. treasurer lists range of cuts if Supreme Court rules against Christie in schools funding case
• N.J. battle intensifies over funding for themed charter schools
• Christie recruits former N.J. attorney general, Supreme Court justice to defend cutbacks in school funding
• Christie says he's confident about convincing N.J. Supreme Court the state can't afford full aid for schools
• N.J. teachers, labor leaders, parents argue for more education funding at Assembly budget hearing
• N.J. authority reveals approval process for $500M in construction projects at 10 schools
The fault line in today’s briefs is the report from Superior Court Judge Peter Doyne, who was asked by the Supreme Court to study the impact of Christie’s budget cuts before justices made a decision in the case. Doyne concluded they disproportionately harmed poor districts, undercutting the state’s argument that funding cuts had been spread fairly.
After the report was released, the state asked Peter Verniero, the former New Jersey attorney general and Supreme Court justice, to lead its legal team. The brief filed by the state today criticizes Doyne’s report as myopic — it did not consider education policies like teacher tenure or the state’s overall fiscal situation — and having "no basis for any real conclusions."
The state also said the review is incomplete because student performance reviews won’t be available until next January, preventing the court from determining whether students were actually hampered by lower funding.
The Education Law Center, by contrast, heaped praise on Doyne’s report, saying it accurately diagnosed spending cuts as a "grave constitutional violation ... The resulting harm to New Jersey school children ... is severe and immediate."
More than one-third of all school districts statewide, which educate nearly three-fourths of all at-risk students, are funded below the formula’s standards, the Law Center said. Schools have cut teaching positions, increased class sizes and reduced student programs.
The Supreme Court’s decision in the case could have drastic consequences for the state budget, and Democrats and Republicans alike are bracing for the outcome.
If the court orders more funding, Treasurer Andrew Sidamon-Eristoff said the state may need to gouge funding for things like Medicaid, property-tax relief and municipal aid.
Some Democrats are pushing for a "millionaires tax" on the state’s highest earners to provide more school funding. Assemblyman Declan O’Scanlon (R-Monmouth) criticized the idea, saying the tax would fail to cover all the funding the court may require. "Do the math," he said. "Where are you going to get the rest of the money?"
Even some Democrats who say Christie’s school funding cuts are unconstitutional are apprehensive about the Supreme Court’s decision.
"I hope the court interprets it fairly, and if the governor is right, then we move forward," Assembly Budget Chairman Lou Greenwald (D-Camden) said. "If he’s wrong, then we have work to do."
New Jersey Star Ledger, April 11, 2011. Jarrett Renshaw contributed to this report.

High School Musical

On Thursday night, March 31, 2011, I had the honor of attending the Hopatcong High School production of “Me and My Girl” produced and directed by Mr. Joe Ross. Words cannot express my pleasure as I reflect upon a wonderful and marvelous performance by our high school students. This musical set in England in the 1930’s and is full of raw comedy, singing, and dancing. The cast was totally engaging and pulled off a brilliant rendition of this rather tongue-in-cheek musical. There were some vaudevillian aspects of the play that one would think would be difficult to portray by high school students and they handled it with ease. The group tap dances were well executed and the overall impact was fundamentally sound. This is evidence of a well-disciplined troop of young actors and actresses who were clearly focused on producing a quality performance.

The musical aspect of this performance was difficult to accomplish given the book was written in the 1930’s, full of rhythmic challenges and replete with constant key changes. Matt Testa did a very nice job as conductor and teacher of the musical ensemble. The difficulty of connecting the pieces seemed easy as the orchestra segued from segment to segment. There were many key adults involved behind the scenes including Michael Batche and Barbara Fersch, members of the faculty and staff, and a strong parent’s organization.

It is worth mentioning that our lead actor, Steven Munoz, did a spectacular job of portraying Bill Snibson in the musical. Steven made his character come to life for the audience by masterfully executing the timing of his lines, the gestures, dancing, singing, and overall comedic interpretation as if he were born to accomplish this task. Such a natural and comfortable role for a high school student does not come easily, yet Steven was brilliant and sold the audience on his every move as an actor. This young man can go places in theatre if he wishes to do so.

I have written extensively about the value and place of the arts in our public schools. Last night’s performance involving perhaps a hundred or more students is a solid affirmation of the philosophy that the arts must remain central in the developing lives of America’s youth. We are a creative and vibrant nation made up of the most diverse population on this earth. The arts allow us to celebrate the differences we possess and integrate them into a meaningful whole. Our young people can only learn the value of appreciating their individual talents and differences through direct experiences and theatre, dance, singing and performing are the perfect avenues for students. Congratulations to the Hopatcong High School Drama Club on a wonderful and fun performance.