Report Released by Gov’s Office July 20 Claims NJ Saves $2.7B Annually Thru Private Schools
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July 21, 2010
In a report released July 20 by Gov. Chris Christie, a study commission on non-public schools claims that private and parochial schools save New Jersey $2.7 billion annually, while providing "expanded educational options" for children. The report also recommends that some form of tax scholarships or tax credits (aka vouchers) be enacted in the state, such as the “Opportunity Scholarship Act (S-1872 (Lesniak/Kean) / A-2810 (Fuentes/DeCroce)) which would help parents choose to send their children to nonpublic schools.
Christie, who has backed a controversial bill that would allow school choice, said "the section of the report supporting tax credits for scholarship programs is especially important.
"Many states provide such tax credits, and we support providing them in New Jersey, as well," he said in a press release. Christie said he would take the recommendations under consideration.
The Governor’s Study Commission on New Jersey’s Nonpublic Schools was created by former Gov. Jon Corzine in December 2009, and chaired by Assemblyman Gary Schaer, (Passaic).
There are 24 members listed on the commission report, 15 of them are affiliated with private or parochial schools.
Claiming the distinction between public and private education is artificial, the report made the following statements:
- All children are part of the public, and New Jersey has a responsibility to provide for the quality education of all of its children.
- All property owners pay taxes that support education, whether or not they have students in publicly funded schools.
- No one type of school situation fits all students.
Reports Reasons to Enhance Support
The Commission established three categories of reasons to “enhance” support to non-public schools. These are economic, legal and philosophical.
Economic
Claiming that one out of every eight New Jersey students attend non-public school, the report stated that non-public schools save New Jersey residents over $2.7 billion annually in operating costs and over $1.1 billion in annualized capital expenses. The report also claimed that since non-public schools employ nearly 20,000 people, it is among the largest private industries in the state.
The report said nonpublic schools serve more than 160,000 New Jersey students, but that enrollment dropped by more than 29,000 between 2004 and 2009, because of financial stress on families. Most of those students entered public schools, costing taxpayers more than $430 million a year, according to the report. The 160,000 represents less than ten (10) percent of the total number of New Jersey students statewide.
Philosophical
The report also argued that taxes derived from the public should benefit all the children of the public and that non-public schools collectively serve a diverse universe of students, culturally and ethnically.
The report also claimed that non-public schools have a proven record of success with urban students and compared the secondary school structure to that of the higher education system where there is “no distinction in its support for either sectarian or nonsectarian colleges and universities and public institutions.”
Legal
Finally, utilizing the argument that parental authority over the education of their children is a well-established legal principle and that the Constitution does not prohibit all forms of state assistance to children (and/or the parents of children) attending nonpublic schools, the report argued that the arguments converge to create “an imperative to act” on the part of the State.
Report Recommendations
The Commission recommended that “viable programs or resources that are made available for New Jersey’s public school students in future budgets also be made available to New Jersey’s nonpublic school students, in order to provide a thorough and efficient education to all of New Jersey’s children.”
Specific recommendations include the need to enhance support for current nonpublic school programs such as textbook aid, technology aid and special education services. The report also recommended increasing funding for transportation assistance and support for nursing services.
New programs to “enhance student access to nonpublic schools” were recommended, including school choice and an alternative delivery of math instruction.