The senate portion of the bill was passed today June 23rd
Assemblyman Rep. Sean Kean [R] Rep. David Rible [R] have introduced a bill that would Establish a three-year nonpublic school pupil transportation pilot program in Lakewood School District to provide funding to consortium of nonpublic schools that will assume responsibility for district's mandated nonpublic school busing. Under the bill, (New Jersey Assembly Bill 3652) the Commissioner of Education will designate one eligible district to participate in the pilot program. The bill defines an eligible district as a school district which in the most recent school year prior to the effective date of the bill supplied transportation to more than 5,000 pupils residing in the school
district in going to and from any remote school other than a public school pursuant to the provisions of N.J.S.18A:39-1. Under this definition, only the Lakewood School District would meet the criteria. The bill provides that the pilot program would first be applicable in the 2016-2017 school year. Read Bill HERE
About time our representatives wake up and do something.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a political kick-back if it only applies to our town. We will be painted in a bad light again.
ReplyDeleteIt does not matter what we do, we are in golus. I'll take the kick back.
DeleteStill doesn't justify the amount of property tax we pay and get little from the education portion of it.
ReplyDeleteOur kehila uses a big portion of the budget on special ed tuition to an outside special school where most of the students are from the kehila. Its about 25 million dollars or more if you include transportation and other things.
DeleteAre you sure we use a big portion of the budget? Anecdotally we use a pittance, and that must be true. I don't want to look at actual numbers.
DeleteI guess you don't want to be confused with the facts. There are 2 parts to the budget. A lot of the budget is money from Federal and State grants and programs such as nursing ,textbooks ,title 1 etc etc. Those funds do not come from the local taxpayer so they are not really part of what is generated by the local tax levy . the part of the budget relevant to us are those expenditures that come from the local tax levy. I would guess that the special ed tuition to the private school plus the additional special ed transport and other costs are close to it in excess of more than a quarter of the tax levy budget. I would call that a significant amount. Of you add the kehila used mandated busing numbers,you will get close To 40 per cent of the tax levy ,so we do use a big chunk without most people realizing it.
DeleteUsing slightly over 25% of the rosources with over 80% of school age children is not a significant amount.
DeleteYou are missing the point. Nobody said we are not morally entitled to some of the budget. The question just keeps coming up that we pay taxes and use nothing. So the answer was that mist people don't realize that between the special ed school and transportation we use about 40 per cent of the tax levy portion. That is a significant amount which most people do not realize
DeleteThe seniors who have no children in school also pay taxes so thats not a taynah. Education is a public responsibility whether you use it or not
ReplyDeleteThis is for mandated busing, not for courtesy busing.
ReplyDeletewrong. it's about both.
DeleteAccording to my understanding of the bill it would create a pool of all the mandated transportation funds, any funds left over after mandated busing has been paid for can be used for non mandated bussing
ReplyDeleteDoes SCHI need that much money? the district does it it for less than that per student. and why does SCHI have to fundraiser for a camp if it gets close to half of the BOE budget. The camp is not only for Lakewood kids btw.
ReplyDeleteThe general SCHI budget for the school year is covered by the Lakewood school district camp is not.
DeleteUnconscionable and unethical. Stinks of payoffs. Publish this please.
ReplyDeletePeople just dont get it. The busing for private schools in mandated by the state for anyone living past the 2.5 mile threshold. No one is taking away any money from public school kids. What the private schools are doing is taking what is entitled from the state and cutting the costs thus they can control it and have safety busing for everybody. It was the lakewood school district that decided to rid courtesy busing.
ReplyDelete