- We're now joined by Betsy Ginsburg, Executive Director of the Garden State Coalition of Schools.

Betsy, great to have you with us.

- Thank you.

- We'’re gonna put up the website for the organization, tell everyone what your organization is, because I believe it's a volunteer organization.

- No, it's not, well, it is.

I should say I'm the only full-time paid employee, it is a coalition of a hundred public school districts from all over New Jersey.

- They're all volunteers.

- They are all volunteers.

Yes, our members, our member districts are represented by superintendents and board members.

Superintendents obviously are paid in that capacity, board members are volunteers at all times.

- And the mission is?

- And the mission is advocacy, equal access to education for all children.

- You know, while there's so many issues we can talk about, and we will talk about school funding in just a moment, there's a mental health crisis with our kids, there's no doubt about it, and the schools are at the cross section of all that because our kids spend so much time in schools.

Suicide is the second leading cause of death for teens and young adults between the ages of 10 and 24, according to the CDC, the Centers for Disease Control.

Why is that relevant to the mission of the Garden State Coalition of Schools?

- Because students can't learn, they can't have access to education unless they're mentally healthy.

And also, there is no real school security without mental health security, so suicide is very relevant to everything we do.

- What exactly are you looking for our policymakers to do with respect to this issue?

- Well, suicide is endemic, you know, it was on the rise, suicide among students, K-12 students, was on the rise before COVID, there was less suicide during COVID, it's on the rise again now.

What we're looking for policymakers to do is provide school districts with the resources to employ more mental health professionals and mental health programs.

- So let's talk about funding.

So the governor, the Department of Education, they have a funding formula.

- Yes.

- My understanding is that the funding formula is somewhat based on the state Supreme Court decisions in the state of New Jersey having to do with the constitution, and a thorough and efficient education for every student, and the effort to achieve that, and catching up in the so-called Abbott districts, 28, 29, 30 of those.

Question here is this, what is the biggest concern you have about state funding to our schools, for our schools, and what would you change specifically?

- Well, as you know, we have a funding formula that has been in place since before COVID, and it does consider the needs and requirements of individual students, money sort of follows the student.

However, and the formula was reviewed right before COVID, and amended with legislation that is known to us as S-2.

- S-2, just meaning Senate bill number two, go ahead.

- Right.

Attempted to address some issues with the formula.

Where we are right now is that, you know, we've come out of COVID, many districts in this cycle for FY-24, when they received their state aid notices received considerably less than they were anticipating.

- Less?

- Less.

- Why'd they anticipate more?

- Well, the way S-2 amended the formula was that districts that had been receiving a category of aid called adjustment aid, which was supposed to have been phased out after several years of the formula.

- One second, Betsy, I'm gonna avoid going into, no disrespect, the- - No, that's okay.

- But here's the deal, as I understand it, disproportionately suburban districts, school districts, are concerned and are angry on some level about the state funding formula to our schools, because they think they're getting the shaft.

- They do, and I think right now that's complicated by inflation, which is driving all our costs up.

Right, clearly.

- And you know, inflation driven particularly in the area of healthcare and fuel costs.

- Well, what do they wanna change about the formula, what exactly do they want to change about the formula?

They just want more money?

- Well, they want either more money in specific aid categories, like transportation, or they want the ability to have waivers, which allows you to raise taxes more than the 2% cap.

So for example- - The 2% cap on local governments, you can't spend more than 2% more than you spend- - Can't pay more than 2% from the local tax levy.

- Right.

Go ahead, I'm sorry.

- And so, say your transportation costs have gone up 18%, and that certainly doesn't fit within the 2% cap, what might help districts is to be allowed to raise funds in excess by some amount of that 2% cap, to accommodate just that kind of fluctuation.

- Right.

So in the time we have left, I'm curious about this.

To what degree do you believe, Betsy, that Governor Murphy understands the message that your organization is sending about the school funding formula, A, and B, is willing to reexamine it and make certain adjustments?

- I think that the governor's office understands what the most recent problems have been, they have not made any statement on making adjustments, I think probably they're waiting to get through this budget cycle first, but we're hoping- - Which is on June 30th, just so we know, we're taping toward the end of April, what Betsy's talking about is the budget cycle has to be done by July 1st with a new budget.

Go ahead, I'm sorry.

- And what worries us is that you have the budget cycle, which ends June 30th.

Then you have summer, where not much happens legislatively.

Then you go into fall, and it's campaign season, because everybody is up for reelection except the governor.

So we're worried that the issues that have come up with the formula most recently won't really be addressed before districts go into their budgeting cycle for FY-25.

- We're running outta time.

So what does that mean?

- That means that the problems that many districts had this year of receiving considerably less aid than they expected might recur, because nothing will have been done.

- Betsy Ginsburg, Executive Director of Garden State Coalition for Schools, I want to thank you so much for joining us.

- Thank you.

- You got it.

I'm Steve Adubato, We'll see you next time.

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