Tuesday, June 21, 2016

Isn't It Time For Fairness On THIS?


New Jersey State Senator Mike Doherty (R-23), the long-time sponsor of the “Fair School Funding” plan, praised Governor Chris Christie for proposing a new “Fairness Formula” to distribute state education aid more equitably.


Sen. Mike Doherty, sponsor of the “Fair School Funding” plan, praised Gov. Chris Christie’s proposed “Fairness Formula” to distribute state education aid more equitably. (SenateNJ.com)

Under current state law, some towns receive back just pennies on the dollar of the income taxes their residents pay to the state in the form of school aid allocated to their local districts through a convoluted funding formula that few people understand.
“After years of being the lone voice calling for a new school funding formula that treats every student and every taxpayer fairly, I’m glad that Governor Christie has joined my call for reform,” said Doherty. “Every child deserves an equal opportunity, and every taxpayer deserves fair treatment.”
S-563, proposed by Doherty, would replace the current flawed funding formula with a fair, simple and transparent formula that would provide every child in the state with an equal share of state education aid, regardless of where they live.
Whereas Doherty’s Fair School Funding proposal would apply to the approximately $14 billion of income tax revenues collected by the state, the Governor’s proposed Fairness Formula applies to the approximately $9 billion of direct school aid currently budgeted.
“The Governor is on the right track with his proposal to return billions of tax dollars to rural and suburban districts that have long been underfunded,” added Doherty. “A fairer distribution of school funding would cut thousands from most property tax bills and help make the state affordable for many struggling families.”


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