Acting Education Commissioner Christopher Cerf painted an upbeat picture for the Assembly Budget Committee that schools generally are doing very well.
And according to him, they’re about to get an infusion of money.
“The budget the governor proposed is the single most generous budget that’s ever been proposed by any governor, any administration,” said Cerf.
Democrat Vincent Prieto, the committee chairman, challenged Cerf’s statement that a $212 million increase in state school aid sets a new record.
Said Prieto, “When we talk about direct school aid, it’s about $212 million. That is still $110 million less than fiscal year 2010.”
Cerf replied that Prieto is counting $1 billion in federal stimulus dollars that boosted that year’s total.
“The actual amount of taxpayer funds — dollars generated in New Jersey — was only $6.4 billion in the last year of the Corzine administration,” said Cerf. “This governor has proposed $1.4 billion more than that.”
Cerf said New Jersey spends $18,000 per student annually — the highest in the nation along with New York and Connecticut, but that money is not the most important factor.
“We have been boxed into a world view by the Supreme Court that basically equates funding with success. I will tell you from the bottom of my heart that this is an equation that is not right.”
The teacher is the most important factor, said Cerf, which is why his department is pursuing teacher tenure reform and other measures aimed largely at pulling up 200 failing schools in New Jersey.
While 90 percent of school districts will see aid increases under the Christie budget, 10 percent will be less well-funded.
The committee focused on those and on the need to consolidate districts.
Assemblyman John Burzichelli (D) said, “I applaud the department’s effort to understand our changing society, but one thing that’s constant, we have too many school districts. We have too much.” Cerf agreed with that.
Later, the committee’s afternoon session with Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno and two agencies was postponed at her request. Her father died last night.
Chief Political Correspondent Michael Aron reports from the State House.
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