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Schools expect to benefit from extra aid
Freehold Borough K-8 administrators assess impact of new state formula
BY CLARE MARIE CELANO Staff Writer
It's not as good as winning the lottery, but the Freehold Borough School District appears to be in a better position to fund its operations for 2008-09 than it was during the 2007-08 school year.
With the implementation of a new schoolfunding formula that was approved by the state Legislature and signed by Gov. Jon Corzine earlier this month, district administrators are expecting to see an increase of $1.5 million in state aid for the coming year.
School district Business Administrator VeronicaWolf said state aid figures for 2008-09 have not been finalized. Wolf said district administrators applying the new formula believe Freehold Borough schools will receive $1.5 million more in state aid, but she cautioned that is not an official number yet.
The new school-funding formula, which Wolf said is "driven by individual student needs," moves away from referring to a highquality education as "thorough and efficient" and instead refers to a high-quality level of education as an "adequacy budget formula." That term denotes the amount of money state officials believe school districts should be spending to educate their children.
The new school-funding formula, according to Superintendent of Schools Elizabeth O'Connell, will benefit Freehold Borough schools, which are currently spending under the "adequacy" level. The new funding formula will also benefit school districts that are carrying more than their fair share of local property taxes. School districts that have experienced an increase in enrollment will also benefit from the new funding formula, according to O'Connell.
"The previous method of funding school districts did not address the student changes occurring in school districts," she said.
Wolf said based on state calculations, the Freehold Borough School District stands to receive the maximum increase in state aid that will be provided in 2008-09, 20 percent over the amount of state aid that was received in 2007-08. That increase is supposed to be provided within the state budget for the next three school years (2008-09, 2009-10 and 2010- 11).
The figure is based on the inclusion of certain categories, including the base cost of education for each district, at-risk costs, limited English proficiency costs, combination costs and special education and speech needs.
The extra state aid will not allow the district - which includes two elementary schools and one intermediate school - to reach the adequacy budget level right away, but it will allow the district to begin working its way up to that level,Wolf said.
The business administrator said it may take about six years for the district to reach the adequacy budget level. She said future enrollment must be taken into account as well.
The new school-funding formula is expected to reverse a trend that has seen many school districts in New Jersey receive no increase in state aid for most of the past seven years. There was a slight increase in state aid provided for the 2007- 08 school year.
According to figures provided by Wolf, Freehold Borough could receive about $8.8 million in state aid to support the 2008-09 school budget. That would represent an increase of about $1.5 million than the district received for 2007-08. The state aid amount includes Demonstrably Effective Program Aid (DEPA), Targeted At-Risk Aid (TARA), and Early Childhood ProgramAid (ECPA), she said.
At this point in time, O'Connell is not certain how the extra funding may be used. She said examining the general student population class size is a priority, as is keeping tabs on special education class size. Possible increases in insurance, health benefits and energy must also be taken into account.
The Board of Education will present a budget to the public later this spring that will show how the state aid is being spent and how much money will have to be raised in local property taxes to support the school district.
Residents will vote on the 2008-09 school year budget in theApril school election.
A
ccording to Wolf, no New Jersey
school district will see a decrease in total state aid for at least the next three year. This is referred to as the "hold harmless" provision of the formula. All school districts will receive at least a 2 percent increase in state aid in the first year of the new funding program. After three years, decreases in hold harmless aid may occur if a district experiences a significant decline in enrollment.
O'Connell said at this time, administrators have only received a general overview of the new funding plan "without substance." The superintendent said the guidelines and the budget calendar have not been included in that overview.
Schools expect to benefit from extra aid
Freehold Borough K-8 administrators assess impact of new state formula
BY CLARE MARIE CELANO Staff Writer
It's not as good as winning the lottery, but the Freehold Borough School District appears to be in a better position to fund its operations for 2008-09 than it was during the 2007-08 school year.
With the implementation of a new schoolfunding formula that was approved by the state Legislature and signed by Gov. Jon Corzine earlier this month, district administrators are expecting to see an increase of $1.5 million in state aid for the coming year.
School district Business Administrator VeronicaWolf said state aid figures for 2008-09 have not been finalized. Wolf said district administrators applying the new formula believe Freehold Borough schools will receive $1.5 million more in state aid, but she cautioned that is not an official number yet.
The new school-funding formula, which Wolf said is "driven by individual student needs," moves away from referring to a highquality education as "thorough and efficient" and instead refers to a high-quality level of education as an "adequacy budget formula." That term denotes the amount of money state officials believe school districts should be spending to educate their children.
The new school-funding formula, according to Superintendent of Schools Elizabeth O'Connell, will benefit Freehold Borough schools, which are currently spending under the "adequacy" level. The new funding formula will also benefit school districts that are carrying more than their fair share of local property taxes. School districts that have experienced an increase in enrollment will also benefit from the new funding formula, according to O'Connell.
"The previous method of funding school districts did not address the student changes occurring in school districts," she said.
Wolf said based on state calculations, the Freehold Borough School District stands to receive the maximum increase in state aid that will be provided in 2008-09, 20 percent over the amount of state aid that was received in 2007-08. That increase is supposed to be provided within the state budget for the next three school years (2008-09, 2009-10 and 2010- 11).
The figure is based on the inclusion of certain categories, including the base cost of education for each district, at-risk costs, limited English proficiency costs, combination costs and special education and speech needs.
The extra state aid will not allow the district - which includes two elementary schools and one intermediate school - to reach the adequacy budget level right away, but it will allow the district to begin working its way up to that level,Wolf said.
The business administrator said it may take about six years for the district to reach the adequacy budget level. She said future enrollment must be taken into account as well.
The new school-funding formula is expected to reverse a trend that has seen many school districts in New Jersey receive no increase in state aid for most of the past seven years. There was a slight increase in state aid provided for the 2007- 08 school year.
According to figures provided by Wolf, Freehold Borough could receive about $8.8 million in state aid to support the 2008-09 school budget. That would represent an increase of about $1.5 million than the district received for 2007-08. The state aid amount includes Demonstrably Effective Program Aid (DEPA), Targeted At-Risk Aid (TARA), and Early Childhood ProgramAid (ECPA), she said.
At this point in time, O'Connell is not certain how the extra funding may be used. She said examining the general student population class size is a priority, as is keeping tabs on special education class size. Possible increases in insurance, health benefits and energy must also be taken into account.
The Board of Education will present a budget to the public later this spring that will show how the state aid is being spent and how much money will have to be raised in local property taxes to support the school district.
Residents will vote on the 2008-09 school year budget in theApril school election.
A
ccording to Wolf, no New Jersey
school district will see a decrease in total state aid for at least the next three year. This is referred to as the "hold harmless" provision of the formula. All school districts will receive at least a 2 percent increase in state aid in the first year of the new funding program. After three years, decreases in hold harmless aid may occur if a district experiences a significant decline in enrollment.
O'Connell said at this time, administrators have only received a general overview of the new funding plan "without substance." The superintendent said the guidelines and the budget calendar have not been included in that overview.