[INSPRATIONAL MUSIC STING] - We're now joined by State Senator Vin Gopal, a Democrat from Monmouth County.

He's the Democratic Conference Chair in the Senate and also Chair of the Senate Education Committee.

Senator, good to have you with us again.

- Good to be with you Steve.

- As always.

Listen, can we talk about this?

No, we can, we will.

Talk about the state school funding formula, the state dollars that go to local school districts as a key part of aspects of how schools are paid for, along with property taxes.

What the heck is the formula, what's wrong with it, and what needs to be done to address it?

Because you've had many of your colleagues who came on and were taping today, said over 100, maybe 150 school districts, lost state funding to their communities, which is gonna cause them to raise taxes and/or cutback in the schools.

- Yeah, Steve, I think we need more clarity on this funding formula.

The funding formula was put in 2008 and it has not been modernized since then.

We've had a lot of changes.

Mental health, special education's a big driving factor.

In Long Branch, they lost $10 million this year.

They lost the most money of anywhere.

Last year, they gained 600,000, so that's a $10.6 million swing in one year.

And they have about three weeks to put together a budget on cutting $10 million.

This is a district that's almost 70% free and reduced lunch.

- But what explain... By the way, that's in your district, one of your colleagues on the Republican side of the aisle implied that it was somewhat political because the Democrats are in control of both houses of the legislature and the governor's office.

But that's your district.

You're the Chair of the Senate Education Committee.

You're a Democrat, a ranking Democrat.

And Long Branch lost what?

- $10 million, and I don't know what colleagues said that, but that's absolutely not true.

The funding formula.

- Okay, so what's the rationale for that?

Why would they lose that money?

- So ratables are coming in.

People from New York are buying properties on the waterfront, right?

By Pier Village, you've got a lot of property tax abatements, you've got a lot of people buying second homes, and there's a piece of the funding formula that relies heavily on property valuations.

It's not what should be happening.

- Senator, let me jump back in here.

So, your district, Long Branch, loses $10 million.

They were 600 grand up the year before.

One of your Republican colleagues in the Senate I taped an interview with earlier in the day, said, "This is somewhat political how decisions are made."

If it's political, then why would a ranking Democrat in the Senate like yourself, Chair of the Senate Education Committee, lose over $10 million in one of your communities, A and B?

If it's not political, what the heck explains it?

- Yeah, it's absolutely not political.

The formula is heavily dependent on property evaluations, and that's not how you should be funding your school districts.

We've had a lot of people move into Long Branch and Asbury Park along the coastline, all the way down to Atlantic County, people from New York, people buying second homes.

That's increasing the property values of the town.

But Long Branch is still 77% free and reduced lunch, so it's hurting the schools when that happens.

And that's why we need to revisit the formula, modernize it.

Special education, Former Senate President Sweeney, championed Extraordinary Special Education.

That's still a big expense for our school districts.

So I think all of that needs to be on the table as we look towards the next six months to modernizing this formula.

- So let me follow up on that.

Senator, to the districts like Long Branch and others that have lost millions of dollars, right, but they're planning their budgets, how the heck can they make up those losses?

Because no one's gonna fix this formula anytime soon, the state formula for funding public schools through state revenue.

They are gonna have to either increase property taxes and/or, if you will, cut back on teachers, extracurricular programs.

This hits hard.

How the heck are they gonna manage that?

- All of the above.

We're lobbying the governor and DOE to provide stabilization aid in the budget, the upcoming budget, as they did last year.

And we need to really have a hard look at the formula.

We have 600 school districts, Steve.

What is the bar?

How many music programs does the district have?

How many art programs, how many sports programs?

If a school district decides they wanna build a stadium or have a second lacrosse program, is that the responsibility of the state or is that the responsibility of school district?

So- - What do you say?

- One of the things I wanna accomplish in this formula is get experts and have a bar.

Let's set a bar.

What is our expectation?

Why do we have 600 school districts that all do something else, something different from mental health?

Some districts have a therapist on site, others go contract to a third party, others have a school-based youth service program.

We need to work together.

And the secondary education committee is prepared to do that along with Senator Ruiz over the next several months to say, "What is the bar that all 600 districts need to be eligible for?"

And if any district wants to go above and beyond that, they gotta pay for it locally.

- But Senator, at the same time, regionalization.

Combining, merging school districts.

I live in the town of Montclair.

If Montclair, at 38 to 40,000 people, I think, in town, many of whom come from New York, as you mentioned earlier, coming down to Long Branch and Asbury Park, we're getting a lot of folks in Brooklyn, west side of Manhattan.

Next town over is Glen Ridge.

Tiny little town, 1.2 or three square miles.

What about if Montclair wanted to merge with Glen Ridge, former regional school district, one high school, one principal, one superintendent, one sports program.

And that's not gonna happen because one or both communities is gonna say, "No way."

Are you saying if you say, "No way," then you're gonna have to pay your way because you're refusing to be open to regionalization, consolidation, whatever you want to call it.

I know it's a loaded question, but this regionalization conversation has been going on forever in New Jersey, otherwise known as home rule.

"I want my own, I'm not merging with you."

Go ahead, Senator, I'll get off my soapbox.

- No, you're right, and I think I came into the Senate six years ago as a young optimist.

I think I'm still younger, but as a young optimist thinking we can regionalize and share services.

And it's like the old saying about Congress, right?

Everybody hates Congress.

They always vote for their Congress person.

Everybody loves the idea of consolidation, just don't do it in my backyard.

The state has provided funding resources for anyone that wants to engage.

Any town, sewer authority, parking authority, school district wants to engage in any type of shared service or consolidation.

The state is willing to pick up all the costs.

I've had bills I've introduced, I've had bills that have been signed into law.

Like, we're pushing on this, but it's not easy.

Parents get upset, Board of Ed members get upset.

I had two districts in Monmouth County that I was trying to get them together, and you talk about Montclair, these districts would've added up to maybe 300 kids total.

And I had one of the fathers angry at me because the plan would've involved shutting down a school building, which he and his father had gone to, and he wants his son to go to that same school building.

I think it's just so unfortunately complicated.

But that's why we gotta get back to the school funding formula.

- But he wants this property taxes low, lower than they are, or not raised.

- 100%, and that's why this all has to be part of the school funding formula.

How many shared services do you have?

That's important.

- Senator, next time we have you back, I'm gonna do this because you understand childcare better than most, having children of your own that you have to deal with.

We have an initiative called Reimagine Childcare that is expanding to a broader initiative called First 1,000 Days NJ, which deals with impactful issues dealing with families and children.

When you come back next time, let's make sure we talk about that and other issues.

Okay, Senator?

- Would love to.

Thank you so much.

- Thank you so much for joining us as always, Senator Vin Gopal, we'll be right back right after this.

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