Scroll Top

Doria – School Funding Reform Should Be Tied To Accountability, Efficiency

TRENTON – Senator Joseph V. Doria, D-Hudson, a member of the Joint Legislative panel considering reforms to the State’s school funding formula, issued the following statement today following a roundtable discussion the panel conducted with some of the State’s leading authorities on education:

“While we’ve reached a point in New Jersey where school funding formula reform is an absolute necessity to stabilize out-of-control property taxes, I think we need to put an emphasis on best practices and accountability in order to protect the integrity of the educational system in New Jersey.

“We cannot simply re-proportion the scales and let the chips fall where they may. We need to focus on the efficient delivery of quality education, and learn from areas in New Jersey and elsewhere where we’re seeing results, not just in saving money, but in providing the best education to our students.

“Earlier this year, a task force I chair on efficiency in our State’s schools recommended changes to school busing. This is just one example where we could realize substantial savings, to promote better education and provide tax stability.

“One of the speakers at today’s roundtable discussion made the point that we should look not at where we’ve been, but where we want to go with education. If we’re serious about long-lasting reform, we need to focus on maximizing every dollar spent on educating our kids, and ensuring safeguards are in place to provide real accountability of State funds.”