News from Assemblymen Michael Panter

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I know this should be under the elected leaders thread, but this is school specific. I received this from a a third party.


Panter Update
>
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>
> A Report on the Activities of Assemblyman Mike Panter
>
> 3/26/07

School Funding Update:
>
> State, County and Local Officials working together to Avoid Cuts in Freehold
> Borough
> and East Windsor Regional Districts
>
> (Shrewsbury)-Assemblyman Mike Panter has been meeting with officials,
attending
> meetings
> and leaving no stone unturned in the search of funding needed in two 12th
> District
> school districts that are facing staffing cuts as a result of budget
shortfalls.
>
> In Freehold Borough, Panter joined his 12th District colleagues on the stage
for
> a standing room only town hall meeting Tuesday, as they detailed how and why
the
> district is in the condition it is.
>
> " The funding freeze, which ends this year, along with huge enrollment
increases
> have
> left Freehold Borough without many options," says Panter. "The district is
also
> in
> a very unique circumstance because significant sources of their tax ratables
are
> exempt because they are owned by Monmouth County."
>
> Panter wrote a letter to Monmouth County Freeholder Director Bill Barham
asking
> the
> Freeholder Board to meet and discuss a Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILOT)
program
> to
> offset the disproportionate burden assumed by Freehold Borough compared to the
> county's
> other 52 municipalities. In addition, Senator Ellen Karcher has legislation
that
> would bring similar relief to county seats that fall under the "B" District
> category.
> "B" District schools demonstrate some of the needs of Abbot Schools but do not
> qualify
> fo r the state mandated funding.
>
> In the East Windsor Regional School District, a funding shortfall comes as a
> result
> of a glitch in the Legislature's tax relief bill passed earlier this year. The
> bill,
> which sets a 4 percent cap on tax increases that can be imposed by a
> municipality
> or school district, also restricts the district from raising the tax levy to
> replenish
> surplus or other one-time revenues used to balance last year's budget.
>
> Assemblyman Panter will attend tonight's budget hearing at 7:30 in the
> Hightstown
> High School auditorium.
>
> As a result of suggestions from the Department of Education, Senator Karcher
and
> Panter, the district is considering options to replace at least some of the
> funding,
> including putting several programs up for referendum in an effort to avoid
> eliminating
> teach ing positions in the district's 2007-08 school year. State officials have
> told
> the school district that it can include a new "school facility adjustment" to
> increase
> revenues in the budget as well as provide the district advanced notice of
> anticipated
> extraordinary aid for special education and bilingual services, which would be
> included
> in the school district's upcoming budget. Other items, including a budgeted
> program
> to install sound proofing could be removed from the budget as nonessential
> items,
> but be subject to voter approval under a separate ballot question.
> "My priority is to work together with all parties to avoid hurting the
children
> of
> the Freehold Borough and East Windsor districts," said Panter. "We are focused
> on
> the immediate situations, but as I have said for five years, the state
> legislature
> needs to revitalize the school funding formula in order to permanently avoid
> these
> circumstances and give suburban districts their fair share of state aide."
>