Doherty Coming To Berkeley Tuesday To Discuss Proposed Fair School Funding

It’s been more than two years since State Senator Michael Doherty came to a Berkeley Republican Club meeting to talk about his proposed Fair School Funding Act.

Tuesday night he’ll be back again to speak at the Berkeley Township Board of Education meeting. Doherty - a member of the Senate Education Committee - has drafted legislation that provides an equal amount of state aid for every student in New Jersey, regardless of which school district they attend.

Mayor Carmen F. Amato Jr. and the Township Council passed a resolution back then in support of the legislation. Berkeley would gain millions in additional education aid if the measure was approved by the state legislature.

Doherty claims in a Youtube video that the New Jersey Supreme Court has “hijacked” the state constitution with the current formula, which provides more funding to urban school districts.

The state Legislature approved the state income tax back in 1976. Revenue is supposed to be divided equally amount each student throughout the state, he says in the video.

There are 150 towns in New Jersey that receive a nickel or less back for each dollar sent in income tax for funding the schools, Doherty says in the video.

Doherty’s plan would be enacted through a constitutional amendment that must be approved by voters. It would significantly increase state school aid to the majority of school districts in the state and result in lower property taxes for their residents, he said.

The meeting gets underway at 6:30 p.m. at the Berkeley Township Elementary School at 10 Emory Avenue in Bayville.

Berkeley Township Board of Education member James Fulcomer said the legislation is particularly important to Berkeley. He predicts Berkeley will face a “tax cliff” in several years, when federal Superstorm Sandy aid runs out.

“This tax cliff most likely will result in a huge tax increase unless the Fair School Funding bill is adopted or unless an unexpectedly large increase in tax ratables is achieved,” said Fulcomer, who chairs the board’s fair school funding committee.