Houghtaling and Downey Speak Out On School Funding

Long Branch - This week, Speaker Prieto and Senator Sweeney announced a compromise on school funding here in New Jersey. In response to this proposed plan, Assembly members Downey and Houghtaling released the following joint statement:

“School funding is one of the biggest problems facing our state and this district. For too long, this problem has gone unaddressed and the actions by Governor Christie and Republicans in the Assembly and Senate have made it worse. Instead of committing to fully funding every school district in the state, like we should have been doing from the beginning, a combination of political deals and budget cuts have pushed us to a breaking point.

The compromise put forward by Speaker Prieto and Senator Sweeney is a positive step and it is encouraging to see commitment to solving the issue. We’re thrilled that the issue of underfunding faced by Freehold Borough and Red Bank has gotten more attention. But it is in no way a perfect solution.

We have concerns about the implementation process and the unnecessary headaches it will cause for our schools in the coming year and down the road. This proposal cannot be seen as a real solution, but more a stopgap. We need to commit to a solution that addresses the root of our problem and fully funds every school district every year.

Any successful approach needs to be based on a conversation that includes budget experts, school funding experts, and educators to help craft a true, long-term approach. The plan that we have supported would seek to address issues beyond adjustment aid and state aid growth limits, including special education funding, property tax caps, and more, free from influence of special interests. This is not a simple problem and the solution will need to address the complexities of the issue. Beyond that, when we address school funding, we need to do so through the regular bill process. Our kids shouldn’t be stuck in the middle of a budget battle.

The compromise put forward by Senator Sweeney and Speaker Prieto is an encouraging sign of progress on the critical issue of school funding and draws much needed attention to the flaws that exist in our current funding system. There is no question we need to fix school funding in this state, but we need to be smarter about the immediate and long term impacts of a proposal.

A successful approach will do more than throw money at the issue to cover up problem areas or provide only short term relief. We will work as tirelessly as we can to change this plan to ensure that our underfunded districts get the additional funds they need, and that other districts are not disrupted or damaged. This proposal has already changed since being introduced, and we will push hard on behalf of our school districts.”