NJ imposes mandatory budget restrictions to reign in local districts’ spending
According to the Daily Record, the New Jersey Department of Education (NJDE), acting on orders from the state legislature, has drafted regulations that limit what school districts can spend funding on, at the risk on having state aid withheld for noncompliance. Legislators claim the NJDE regulations are necessary to satisfy taxpayers’ demand for accountability. Some in education think the state has gone beyond helpful suggestions and imposes its will over local districts' rights to govern themselves. Referring to the provisions in the regulation that allow the state to withhold aid to districts that fail to comply with the spending limits, Frank Belluscio, a spokesman for the New Jersey School Boards Association, said, “We've also objected to what we saw as a punitive tone.” Education Commissioner Lucille Davy counters that “[i]t's not meant to be a threat.” She added, “It's meant to be 'We're going to do that. It's intended to spell out clearly what we believe is and isn't efficient.” The New Jersey Education Association (NJEA) is concerned that some of the restrictions on travel, including meal expenses, may hinder teachers’ ability to learn at multi-day conventions or seminars. NJEA spokesman Steve Baker stated that some of the regulations may override provisions that have been negotiated at the bargaining table. In addition, critics of the regulation noted the level of minutiae to which state officials have delved. On the other hand, Senate Education Committee chairwoman Shirley Turner observed that the specificity of the regulations speaks to dissatisfaction taxpayers have with the way their districts operate. “They desperately want accountability, and they are not satisfied that their voices are being heard at the local level, and they're not satisfied with the accountability on the local level,” she said. “Particularly as it relates to so many of these extravagant expenses that we've read about in the newspapers.” More NJDE regulations are expected once Gov. Jon S. Corzine signs a bill expanding the education commissioner's ability to enact rules on an emergency basis. These will expand upon what was approved last week, as well as touch on transportation, special education, and consolidation.
Source: Daily Record, 7/7/08, By Gregory J. Volpe