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An organization called The New Jersey Coalition for Special Education Funding Reform testified before the Assembly Budget Committee last month and started a letter-writing campaign among parents and special education advocates last week. What’s their beef? First, the new D.O.E. regulations, A6, give the Executive County Superintendents of each county in New Jersey the authority to review student placement, which is supposed to be decided by the Child Study Team.

Of course, imposing the E.C.S. on the highly-personalized and deliberative process of developing an Individualized Education Plan reeks of rank interference. Word is that, in fact, the E.C.S. will only review placement decisions to put pressure on districts to reduce “out-of-district” placements, but there’s already plenty of pressure to do so to save money. Surely our beleaguered E.C.S.’s have enough to do without randomly searching through speech and developmental evaluations to see if the Child Study Teams are witlessly placing children in extravagant programs. (It’s sort of like asking police officers to take their attention off criminal activity to check for expired registration tags.)

The N.J.’s Coalition’s other beef is that Corzine’s new funding formula neglects special education:

For more than a decade, our coalition has been asking for an independent study to examine the full cost to taxpayers of special education services in New Jersey…When SFRA was drafted, special education funding was not studied as part of the “costing out” effort. And when the Department hired experts to look at their plan, they specifically asked all three independent researchers NOT to look at special education…

We urge this legislature to commission a study to look at the full actual costs of special education, so that funding policy can be developed based on facts, not assumptions.

If they’re right, we’re neglecting a pretty expensive piece of the pie. The 230,000 classified students in N.J. cost over $3.3 billion a year to educate, according to the NJSBA. In fact, we classify a higher percentage of kids and spend more per special needs kid than just about anywhere in the country. Seems pretty reasonable to look more carefully at these children.

But the problem’s not the kids: it’s our educational infrastructure. We’ve got so many little districts that it’s mathematically challenging to come up with an cheaper and more inclusive program. Let’s say a kid is classified as autistic. In order to serve that child in-district, you’ll need at least a half dozen kids at the same age level with the same educational needs. How likely is that in one of our typically small districts? Or say you have a kid who’s hearing-impaired? Can you come up with 6 or 8 more kids who need similar instruction? How about behaviorally challenged? How about developmentally disabled? Most likely the district will send those kids out to (more expensive) placements.

So N.J. has also developed a hefty layer of private special education schools that like things just fine the way they are, thank you very much. These schools (see here) provide the services these kids need and that local districts can’t muster because they can’t come up with the cohorts. So our kids shlep miles away and local taxpayers pay the costs. It’s just another way that we segregate our children in order to preserve our home rule filigree.

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Corzine is trying to make his decision to delay school aid payments more palatable to school districts by fast-tracking legislation that would allow districts to borrow money and the State to pay the interest. The Asbury Park Press reports that the bill was introduced Monday and passed the Assembly Budget Committee on Tuesday, “bypassing a committee hearing entirely.” The vote comes before both the Assembly and Senate tomorrow.

Reactions from legislators are predictable. Democrats defended Corzine’s decision to defer payments and Republicans threw tomatoes.

From Assemblyman Louis Greenwald, D-Camden:
Delaying a payment for which nobody misses a dime, for which all the costs are incurred, for which no school suffers a lost day, for which no school is closed a day, where teachers' pay is not docked 13 percent as is being done in other states.

From Republican Budget Officer Joe Malone, R-Burlington, Mercer, Monmouth and Ocean (quoted in New Jersey Newsroom):
Only in New Jersey government can you hear someone say that 19 payments instead of 20 is not a cut. We cannot continue to play the same game and repeating the same mistakes that have led to our current budget problems. ‘Deferring' this payment is like playing musical chairs and when the music stops someone is going to be without a seat.

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//this story was originally posted on 04-01-09 but for some reason it was never active.

More than 500 Bloomfield residents crowded Town Hall Tuesday night to debate job cuts in the school district's special education programs as part of next year's budget.

The 2009-2010 schools budget, which passed in a 6-3 vote, requires that all 71 full-time special education aides in the district move from fulltime to part-time, accept paycuts and lose their benefits. District officials said the measure would save $800,000.

Tensions were high as students, parents and special education teaching aides accused the Board of Education of a lack of sympathy toward special needs students who require consistency in their learning environments.

The crowd was so large that the meeting was relocated to the 881-seat Bloomfield High School auditorium across the street.

The budget also cuts custodial jobs and facility repair projects, such as a broken cornice in front of the Bloomfield High School auditorium. The budget will rise 3.2 percent to a total of $85.5 million next year. For the owner of the average assessed home of $140,700, that will translate into a $174.06 tax increase, according to the superintendent's budget presentation.

All the cuts in next year's budget, said Superintendent Frank J. Digesere, are necessary because of a state cap on property taxes.

That didn't make the cutbacks in special education any easier for parents to digest.

Susan D'Andrea read aloud a letter written by her 9-year-old daughter who was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome. The letter praised her aides at the Demarest Elementary School and pleaded that the district keep their jobs intact.

"That [letter] in itself speaks to the success of the paraprofessionals in this district," said D'Andrea. "This child could formulate thoughts without any assistance from me."

Bloomfield High School aide Joe Sambataro said at the meeting that he is responsible not only for mental health issues but for physical problems such as diabetes. Sambataro said he monitors the blood sugar levels and carbohydrate intake of students, and he listed possible side effects, including kidney disease and blindness, if medical attention is not administered properly.

Other critics said the aides would leave the Bloomfield School district and that incoming part-time aides would be untrained and uninvolved.

Digesere said if the board did not pass a budget by midnight, the state would write the budget for them.

"I don't want to put this in the hands of the state, because I dont trust some of the things they've done," said Digesere. "The state won't even allow us to say that we want these people to keep their jobs even if it raises our taxes...we're not even allowed to dictate our own wants anymore."

Board members Joseph Lopez, Laura Curcio and Nicholas Rizzitello voted against the budget and cited personal experiences in working with special education aides. Lopez said his son matriculated under aides at Fairview Elementary School and that he was chastised by other board members when he proposed alternate solutions.

"I want these aides to keep these jobs 100 percent," said Lopez. "I've seen the great progress these aides have made to enable my son to be part of the school system, and I really appreciate that."

Go there

like Wendys frostys?

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SOURCE

TRENTON | Gov. Jon S. Corzine acknowledged Wednesday that suspending rebates for most homeowners next year would be painful for residents, but said the state cannot spend money it doesn't have.

"It hurts them and we understand that, but we don't have the resources to be able to fund it," Corzine said Wednesday at a public event in Sayreville, N.J. "If you don't have the resources, you can't spend money you don't have. I know the public understands that."


State Treasurer David Rousseau announced Tuesday the one-year rebate suspension for all non-seniors would be needed to help close an unexpected $1.6 billion shortfall in the fiscal year 2010 budget, caused by plummeting revenues since the introduction of the spending plan in March.

New Jersey residents -- who have been receiving the rebate checks since 1977 -- pay the highest property taxes in the nation at an average of $7,000 per household. That's about twice the national average.

According to the state Treasury Department, eliminating the rebates would cost homeowners $950 on average, while renters would miss out on an average $75 rebate. Cutting the rebates is projected to save the state $943 million.

Corzine emphasized Wednesday that the rebate suspension would be temporary.

"We use the word suspension for a very real reason," Corzine said. "It will be one of the very first things that we do restore because I think property taxes are a challenge for people in this state."

Corzine already proposed scaling back rebates in March for homeowners making more than $75,000 a year, down from last year's $150,000 annual salary threshold.

GOP calls rebate cut a middle-class tax hike

Republicans criticized the move immediately, recalling the state shutdown in 2006 in which the state sales tax was increased by a penny, half of which was supposed to go toward property tax relief. Assemblyman Joseph Malone said the Democrats gave the impression that the relief was "set in stone."

On Wednesday, Republicans ramped up attacks on the proposal.

Lawmakers called the suspension a tax increase on the middle class and claimed the rebates would never come back "under a Corzine regime."


The Republican Governors Association launched a radio ad telling voters to "watch what he does, not what he says." And the Republican State Committee released a Web video showing clips of Corzine promising to increase rebates 40 percent over four years while campaigning in 2005.

'Political hit' for Corzine

Ingrid Reed, of the Rutgers Eagleton Institute of Politics, said while Republicans are taking political shots at the governor, it is difficult to tell how voters will respond to the elimination of most rebates for next year because public opinion varied on the checks.

Some called them a fiscal gimmick, she said, while others said they were needed relief.

Benjamin Dworkin, director of the Rebovich Institute for New Jersey Politics at Rider University, said slashing the rebates for most homeowners next year is a "huge issue" given the dominance of property taxes in the public arena.

"Any time you deny property tax relief, you're going to take a political hit," Dworkin said. "Jon Corzine, by virtue of being governor at this precarious time, has taken a lot of political hits because of the very tough and unenviable decisions he had to make in the budget. So this is just piling on top of everything."

The Legislature is debating the budget. It can amend the plan, but it must be passed by the Legislature and returned to the governor for his signature by June 30. The fiscal year begins July 1.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Trish Graber is Trenton correspondent for The Express-Times. She can be reached at 609-292-5154.

SOURCE


"It hurts them, and we understand that, but we don't have the resources to be able to fund it," Corzine said Wednesday at a public event in Sayreville, N.J. "If you don't have the resources, you can't spend money you don't have. I know the public understands that."

A recent visitor to lehighvalleylive.com doesn't seem particularly understanding.
"Our property taxes are so outrageous here in New Jersey, that if the economy was better, I would definitely sell," saffire62 writes.
"New Jersey is not that big of a state, so why is it so hard to create a budget that would work for all of us and not just some. We, as homeowners and taxpayers, get a double whammy."

Republicans have been very critical of the rebate suspension plan, recalling the 2006 state shutdown and half-penny sales tax increase that was supposed go toward property tax relief.

The Republican Governors Association has launched a new ad telling voters of Corzine "watch what he does, not what he says."

Corzine could face a strong challenge from Republican gubernatorial frontrunner Chris Christie this fall. The state primary is June 2.

You can watch the RGA ad below:

SOURCE


TRENTON -- Property tax rebate checks billed as long-term relief just a few years ago are the latest casualty of New Jersey's budget woes.

Treasurer David Rousseau said Tuesday rebate checks would be canceled this year for all but senior citizens and disabled residents because the state budget is suffering a record loss in tax revenue in the bad economy.

The state would also raise income taxes on people earning $400,000 to $500,000 and those earning over $1 million and cancel the expansion of a preschool program as part of Gov. Jon Corzine's plan to close a multi-billion-dollar budget gap, the treasurer said.

"We face the most daunting challenge of any budget in state history," Rousseau told the Assembly Budget Committee. Corzine's budget and tax plans require approval by lawmakers.

Last year more than 1.3 million rebate checks were sent out -- averaging more than $1,000 to household and tenants earning under $150,000. The budget Corzine presented in March proposed keeping property tax rebates for households making less than $75,000, as well as for seniors and the disabled. This latest cut would save $943 million.

Rousseau billed the decision to hold back rebate checks as a one-time suspension.

"Unfortunately, due to the severe revenue decline, we're going to have to, for this year, suspend" most of the rebate program, he said.

Cutting the rebates, along with other budget adjustments announced by Rousseau -- including the shelving of a proposed $25 million preschool initiative Republicans have targeted -- puts the proposed budget at $28.6 billion. In March, Corzine proposed a $29.8 billion spending plan.

The budget is now in the hands of lawmakers, who must approve it by June 30.

Rousseau said the state would take in $400 million in new revenue for the budget by hiking the tax rates on more affluent residents.

The tax rate would go from 6.37 percent to 8 percent for households earning $400,000 to $500,000. People who earn $1 million or more would see their tax rate rise from 10.25 percent to 10.75 percent.

Corzine's plan would also increase taxes on insurance premiums and health maintenance organizations, Rousseau said.

Rousseau's presentation also made official a concession on the budget Corzine announced in March after he initially proposed eliminating the property tax deduction on state income forms for all but senior citizens and disabled residents. The new version of the budget allows households making up to $150,000 to keep the deduction.

Budget Committee Chairman Lou Greenwald (D-Camden), an outspoken proponent of the rebate program, blamed the cut on revenue collections that are at "unprecedented, historic lows."

Mel Evans/AP
Legislative budget analyst David Rosen, of the nonpartisan Office of Legislative Services, projects figures on a video screen today during a budget committee.

"The program isn't being eliminated," he said. "It's obviously being maintained for senior citizens and the disabled."

Earlier Tuesday, David Rosen, the budget and finance officer for the nonpartisan state Office of Legislative Services, predicted that over the next 15 months, revenue will come in nearly $3 billion less than what Corzine had projected in March.



"This is certainly the worst revenue report that I've ever given to the Legislature," Rosen said.

The latest version of the property tax rebate program was rolled out in 2007, when, as is the case again this year, the Assembly was up for reelection.

The 2007 rebate program provided checks to households earning as much as $250,000 using a $2.2 billion budget allocation. Last year, however, the rebate program was restricted to households making up to $150,000.

Corzine proposed scaling back the rebate program to just households making $75,000 or less when he proposed the new state budget in March.

Cutting rebates for all but senior citizens and disabled residents leaves only $640 million in the budget for rebates this year.

Democrats made the inflated rebates a big part of their 2007 election message, contending they were sustainable. "The rebates are substantial, but they are only a down payment on a long-term commitment to tax relief and tax reforms," Assemblyman Joe Cryan (D-Union) said at the time. Cryan, a member of the budget committee, also chairs the state Democratic Party.

Assembly Republican Budget Officer Joe Malone said today the Democratic promise from 2007 "just evaporates like it's never been said."

"There is no value and there is no integrity in people making a commitment or a promise," said Malone (R-Burlington).

Corzine, who also faces re-election this fall, has already announced $1.2 billion in spending adjustments for the current budget to ensure the state closes the fiscal year on June 30 without a deficit, something that's required by the state constitution.

They include deferring pension contributions and school aid payments, raiding surplus funds and making changes and cuts to department budgets.

The committee, meanwhile, voted today to advance a bill to allow school districts to borrow money to offset delayed state aid payments Corzine has proposed. It cleared along party lines, with Democrats approving and Republicans voting no.

SOURCE



The main event wasn’t really a disappointment, because there were some staggering figures thrown out today. But when State Treasurer David Rousseau presented the budget for FY ‘10 to the Assembly Budget Committee, the surprise wasn’t in the declining revenues.

We know that it’s an unprecedented economic climate. Revenues are down in every category – biz tax, sales tax and an astounding 19% down in income taxes.

But here was the May surprise: property tax rebates will be taken away for all but seniors and the disabled. There I said it.

This is going to be interesting to watch politically. Will the voters punish the Governor for this? Hard to say.

Here is what we do know…the proposed budget’s final number is $29.6 billion. That is $1.2 billion less than what the Governor laid out in his Budget Message March 10. And that is roughly $4 billion less than the orginal ‘09 budget.

That is a significant reduction, and maybe the public will understand. Then again, maybe they need someone to blame.

GO THERE

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VINELAND - The state Department of Children and Families Regional Day School on Sherman Avenue has operated in relative anonymity for decades, providing services to physically, developmentally and emotionally disabled children.

On Monday, workers at the school and members of the union representing them set up a table at the curb to try to raise awareness of the small school - and to build support to keep it open.



The DCF plans to close 18 regional schools over the next year, saving about $4 million.

"We want to try to get out to the public that these children need this school," said Mattie Harrell, president of AFSCME Local 2215, which represents workers at the Vineland and Egg Harbor Township schools. "Many of them tried a regular school, and it just didn't work. This is the last stop for them."

The schools were created to help disabled children who are wards of the state, but few of those children remain. Most of the 560 students statewide are placed at the schools by their public school districts, which pay tuition to cover the bulk of the cost. Other area Day Schools are in Middle Township and Toms River.

The Atlantic County Regional Day School houses a Project TEACH program for teen mothers and their children and is scheduled to close this summer. The Atlantic City School District is in talks with the state to take over the program.

Parents at the Vineland school, which serves about 26 severely physically and emotionally disabled students, are concerned because there is no other specialized school for their children in Cumberland county. They are worried their children might get moved back to a regular public school or be required to travel to another county to attend a special-services school.

"I think we did get some attention," said Grissel Ayala, whose son attends the Sherman Avenue school. "A lot of cars slowed down and beeped."

DCF spokeswoman Kate Bernyk said the Vineland school will be in the second phase of closings, and the DCF will work with local districts to find appropriate placements for all the children. She said the Statewide Parents Advocacy Network, or SPAN, also has volunteered to assist in the process.

Harrell said some students tried to attend regular public school but returned to the Day School.

"They have serious problems, and other kids can be mean," she said. "This is a safe haven for them."

State Sen. Jeff Van Drew, D-Cape May, Cumberland, Atlantic, visited the Vineland school last month and spoke to DCF Commissioner Kimberly Ricketts. He said last week that he wants to be sure the students get the services they need, but he could not say whether the school might remain open. He said it is ironic that with all of the criticism of state government, the DCF wants to close schools that have gotten only praise from parents.

"The parents are saying the DCF is doing a good job here, and they just want it to continue," he said. "We need a commitment to these children. They cannot just be integrated into a regular school."

Ayala said parents also plan to attend Wednesday's hearing on the DCF budget. A rally by all the schools is planned for June at the Statehouse.

E-mail Diane D'Amico:

DDamico@pressofac.com

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The Assembly Budget Committee will meet today to review the Governor's proposed FY 2010 budget for the state departments of Children and Families and Community Affairs. Here's the schedule for you to follow along:
DCF Commissioner Kimberly Ricketts is scheduled to testify at 10 a.m.

Community Affairs Commissioner Joseph Doria will make his presentation at 2 p.m.
The budget proposals were all made before we learned that growing revenue shortfall is worsening and now collections are down nearly $2 billion.

In the initial budget proposal, the Department of Children and Families received $10 million less than requested at just over $754 million. The Department of Community Affair's budget was proposed at almost $10 million more than requested allotting just over $65 million. After last week's budget hearings, Assemblywoman Bonnie Watson Coleman offered this weekly message on the importance of preserving pre-K through 12 education, though I know there have also been many questions raised about Higher Education Funding:



Even that video is out of date now because they talk about the $3.5 billion in cuts that have been made, but who knows what further cuts may lie ahead. All of these proposed departmental budgets may receive a second and third look with the way the numbers are coming back in. Speaker Roberts once again said yesterday that all options are on the table. As always, you can listen live to the hearings from the comfort of your home streaming through your speakers.

Download here

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ATLANTIC CITY — Contrary to the purpose of his sweeping state furlough program, Gov. Jon S. Corzine will not save taxpayers one penny by forcing hundreds of employees at two New Jersey casino agencies to take two days of unpaid leave in May and June.

That’s because the operations and salaries at the Casino Control Commission and the Division of Gaming Enforcement are funded entirely by Atlantic City’s $4.55 billion casino industry, not the taxpayers.

Corzine plans to furlough tens of thousands of state workers for one day in May and another in June to help close a deficit in the state budget. The state Treasury Department estimates the savings at about $25 million.

In the case of the Casino Control Commission and Division of Gaming Enforcement, the furloughs will not result in taxpayer savings because the 11 Atlantic City casinos finance the expenses of the two regulatory agencies through licensing fees and assessments. The furloughs will be done anyway, forcing both agencies to close on those days.

“The governor’s office has asked all state employees to share in this effort to address the state’s budget crisis,” Casino Control Commission spokesman Daniel Heneghan said. “We are being treated as any other state employees are.”


Robert Corrales, a spokesman for the Governor’s Office, referred questions Monday from The Press of Atlantic City to the commission and the Division of Gaming Enforcement. Josh Lichtblau, director of the DGE, declined to comment.

Commission employees will take their furloughs May 15 and June 12, while workers at the DGE are scheduled for May 22 and June 29.

Interestingly, casinos will save money on the furlough days because they will be relieved then of the operating and salary costs at both agencies.

However, the casinos will not shut down on those days because some state inspectors will remain on the job to oversee gaming operations. Furloughs involving the gaming inspectors will be done on staggered dates to avoid having the casinos close.

“Careful consideration was given to the selection of all furlough dates with an emphasis upon minimizing any disruption to the public, the casino industry and its employees and business partners,” commission chair Linda M. Kassekert said in a notice posted on the agency’s Web site.

The commission has about 290 employees. The DGE has nearly 300, although about 65 of them are state troopers who exempt from the furlough program. Together, the two agencies oversee state gaming regulations and conduct investigations of casino licensees and their vendors.

When the offices are closed, members of the public will not be able to apply for casino licenses or be fingerprinted as part of the background checks to work in the industry. The DGE will also have to shut down a facility in Atlantic City where new slot machines are tested before they are allowed on the casino floor.

SOURCE

//... guess our teachers are not essential//

Dozens of New Jersey casino inspectors won't have to take two-day unpaid furloughs in the coming weeks.

The 151 inspectors employed by the state Casino Control Commission have been designated as "essential" state employees, meaning they will remain on the job when other commission staffers take their unpaid leave this month and next.

Mark Perkiss, a state Civil Service Commission spokesman, said Wednesday that the change was made due to a recent appeals court ruling that blocked New Jersey from using staggered layoffs to carry out the furloughs.

Inspectors must be at the casinos at all times.

SOURCE

Stop budget cuts aimed at centers for independent living
Guest Column • Anita Clavering
Iproudly work as a systems-advocacy and social-recreation program coordinator for the Alliance for Disabled in Action Inc., which is a center for independent living, serving and empowering people with disabilities of all ages in Middlesex, Somerset and Union counties. I have written this letter not only as a staff member of the alliance but also as a consumer who has benefited from the services and programs it provides to people with all disabilities. If it wasn't for the alliance, I would have never had the information, resources and programs that I am able to use so I can live a full and independent life as a voter, taxpayer and contributing member of the community.

Unfortunately, five centers for independent living (or CILs), including the alliance, that are funded by the state are faced with a severe and devastating budget cut of $125,000, from $625,000 to $500,000.

The proposed budget cut will seriously affect funding of CILs by decreasing the number of staff members and reducing operations in four core services they provide as advocacy, peer support, instruction in independent living and information and referral, as well as transition programs for young people with disabilities ages 16-35 and various services and programs including deaf outreach, assessments for Access Link, adjustment to vision loss, social recreation and others … or they may even close altogether.

All of New Jersey's 12 CILs, which cover 21 counties, already operate on limited budgets. But for the CILs that are affected the most, a reduction of $125,000 in state funding will seriously impede their operations. According to statistics from the New Jersey Association of Centers for Independent Living, the five state-funded CILs serve 58 percent of the geographic area of the state, which includes 48 percent of New Jersey residents with disabilities residing in the community. The five CILs only receive 36 percent of the total independent living dollars in the state.

This proposed cut will drastically impact the CILs abilities to help people with disabilities become economically self-sufficient. CILs are the only resource where people with all types of disabilities can go for assistance. This cut will do nothing to close the state's budget gap, but may and will cause a further dependence on state entitlement programs.


I have been very fortunate to be in a job I truly love by working at the alliance both as a systems-advocacy coordinator who helps people with disabilities individually to empower themselves and working with groups to coordinate efforts that will ensure accessibility, services, and other policies, and as a social-recreation coordinator who arranges activities that help people meet with friends and make new acquaintances while participating and being included in the community. My only wish is that I could work more than the two days I am scheduled to work at the alliance every week so I can advocate for more people to be independent and do more research on finding answers to help them solve their issues.

Services for people with disabilities in our state are already minimal, and centers for independent living are already underfunded. I strongly believe that the proposed cut will especially affect my job at the alliance as well as all my other colleagues there who work very hard in their positions to help and empower people with all disabilities.

I am strongly and firmly urging Gov. Jon Corzine and members of our state Legislature to please help restore funding to centers for independent living, which are indeed vital and necessary organizations that provide people with all disabilities with the information, support and services they need to empower and make choices for themselves so they will be able to live full, productive and independent lives in the community as contributing citizens.

For more information on the proposed cuts, please contact the Alliance for Disabled in Action office at 732-738-4388, email ctonks@adacil.org or aclavering@ adacil.org.

Anita Clavering is a resident of Old Bridge.

SOURCE 5-20-09

TRENTON -- New Jersey lawmakers have advanced legislation that would force state-chartered health care providers to cover certain autism treatments.

The treatments include physical, speech and occupational therapy, as well as behavioral intervention, which advocates said is more expensive than the other three. Both the Assembly Appropriations and Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens committees approved the measure today.

Autism New Jersey clinical director Suzanne Buchanan said one example of that treatment is teaching an autistic child how to make a sandwich. Each step is taught individually and paired with some kind of reward.

The full Assembly will consider it Thursday. The Senate version goes to the Senate budget committee.

SOURCE

Gov. Jon Corzine and the Democratic-controlled state Legislature seem bound and determined to keep the state No. 1 … in property taxes. The 3.7 percent increase seen in the average residential property taxes last year brought the average bill to more than $7,045. That should certainly keep us in the lead. Go, New Jersey!




Leave it to the state to try and sell the lemon as lemonade. Corzine's Budget-in-Brief document stated: "While higher than the desired goal of 4 percent, it was the lowest rate of growth in a decade.'' That should certainly cheer up those in the 81 towns … up from 67 a year earlier … with average tax bills in five figures, topped by a stunning $19,225 in tiny Tavistock in Camden County.

The average tax bill rose in 529 municipalities … at least 10 percent in 20 of them and between 5 and 10 percent in 191 more. The fell in just 36. The average property tax levy increased 4.9 percent, exceeding the 4 percent cap enacted in 2007. Unfortunately, that cap has too many exceptions and can be waived by the state at the town's request. So much for the word "cap.''

The facts belie Gov. Corzine's attempts to pin the blame for the state's budget troubles on his predecessors and the national economy. Since taking office three years ago, property taxes in New Jersey have increased 18 percent.

A 2008 Tax Foundation report found that New Jersey had the highest state and local tax burden in the country for the third year in a row. New Jersey not only had the highest property taxes in the nation, but the third-highest income tax rates … a rate that will increase this year under Corzine's budget proposal … the 10th-highest sales tax and the 11th-highest corporate tax rate.

Taken together, the tax burden relative to other states is worse than it was under the McGreevey administration.

Last week's budget proposal will likely put even more distance between New Jersey and the other states. Cuts in municipal aid and frozen aid to most school districts will create even greater upward pressure on local property taxes. And Corzine plans to eliminate property tax rebates for nonsenior households with incomes of more than $75,000 and suspend the ability of taxpayers to deduct property taxes from their income taxes.

Corzine has taken taxation to a new level - one that will indeed allow him to proclaim New Jersey as a leader.

SOURCE 05-20-09

According to the Star-Ledger, State Treasurer David Rousseau announced yesterday that one of the ways that Corzine is balancing the budget is by eliminating the $25 million for new preschools for non-Abbott districts.

That must hurt. Corzine is bound by the State constitution to produce a balanced budget. Yet, one of his most ambitious initiatives during his term has been to overturn the budget-breaking Abbott decisions in favor of his School Funding Reform Act. A pillar of the S.F.R.A. is that it will fairly distribute money and services to all poor kids, regardless of zip code, and the one of the proofs was the preschool money: aid intended to provide Abbott-like services (like free full-day preschool) to non-Abbott students. With preschool available to all low-income children, Corzine and the D.O.E. could elegantly argue to the courts that Abbott designations were obsolete. So much for that argument. With that $25 million slash, the only poor youngsters guaranteed free full-day preschools are those lucky enough to dwell in Abbott districts.

So, does the School Funding Reform Act, undermined as it is, have a pulse? Can Corzine and the D.O.E. uphold this initiative without equitable funding? Are we willing to recognize that no State can sustain this level of educational spending without going broke?