NJPSA submitted comments to the Governor’s Education Funding Task Force earlier this week imploring the group to carefully consider any recommended changes to the School Funding Reform Act around the use of free and reduced lunch as a proxy for a determination of whether a child is at-risk under the formula. The Association also urged the body to research and make recommendations on allowing school district input or at least an analysis of the impact of municipal tax abatement programs on local school district budgets.
The Taskforce held two public meetings over the last several weeks soliciting public input in both the north and south ends of the State. The body was established by Executive Order 89 of the Governor to examine parts of the state’s School Funding Reform Act (SFRA) funding formula that might “be susceptible to fraud or subject to outside manipulation” in re participation in the Federal Free and Reduced Price Lunch Program (Governor Announces Taskforce to Examine Where School Aid Susceptible to Fraud March 8 2012).
NJPSA provided brief verbal comment to the body in southern New Jersey following up with the written comments submitted August 23.