Autism Vox

Suburbs and Cities: NJ Governor Proposes New Special Ed Funding Formula

by Kristina Chew, PhD on December 8th, 2007

I live in the New Jersey suburbs precisely because it’s here that we’ve found the right kind of autism school program for Charlie. I work in Jersey City, which is an Abbott District, meaning that—-due to its socio-economic classification and other factors–it is considered a “special needs” school district, receives supplemental funding from the state, and is overseen by the state. It would be nice to live in Jersey City, much closer to my job, but it’s a suburban school district that can provide the sort of education and supports that Charlie needs; I’ve enough of a sense of the other problems in Jersey City schools from students who have student-taught in a local high school, and from a friend who teaches middle-school science.

The Governor of New Jersey, Jon S. Corzine, is proposing a new school financing formula that could significantly alter the way the state allocates the $1billion it annually spends on special education. As the December 8th New York Times reports, under the current formula, all of the state’s 615 school districts receive the same amount of funding, whether they are wealthy (like Princeton) or not (Camden). Under Corzine’s new “wealth-equalized” formula, poor districts would receive a larger share of the money.  

At one time, most states used this sort of financial need-blind approach. But since the early 1970s, a growing number of states, including New York, Connecticut and Maryland, have factored the wealth of a school district into the equation, as part of a larger effort to redistribute resources more equitably among students, according to school financing experts. “We have the highest expenditure of any state in the nation with regard to special education,” Mr. Corzine said on Friday at a news conference. “We had it in the world we live in today, and we will have it in the world we live in tomorrow, when there’s a new formulation, and in fact, there will probably be additional funding going to special education.”

The new approach for special education financing has won support among some legislators who represent poor districts, but it is drawing fierce opposition from school officials and parents in wealthier suburban districts who say that they fear receiving a dwindling share of state aid even as their costs are rising. Lynne Strickland, executive director of the Garden State Coalition of Schools, an advocacy group that represents primarily suburban districts, said that as many as 200 districts could be penalized under a wealth-equalized approach.

“There’s really a lot of angst about it,” Ms. Strickland said, adding that many of these districts have not seen an increase in state aid since 2001. “This is a very stressful thing to impose on communities that have already been taxed to the nth degree and feel at the end of their rope.”

Under Corzine’s plan, special education spending would increase for students with the most severe disabilities, or “extraordinary need,” and school districts that send students to out-of-district placements must first pay $55,000 before the state reimburses them (districts currently have to pay $40,000).

Supporters of this approach contend that it would reduce the cost of special education by discouraging school officials and parents from misusing the system, steering students to special education just to increase numbers and qualify for more state aid. Still, John Myers, a consultant who specializes in school financing issues, said that a potential problem with using a statewide average is that it may shortchange districts with a disproportionately large number of special education students. 

Many school officials have also disputed the suggestion that special education numbers are inflated to secure more state aid. Jan A. Furman, superintendent of the Northern Valley Regional district in Bergen County, which operates an autism program for 130 elementary students from 22 towns, said that school districts spend far more on special education — as much as $100,000 a year for a single student — than they ever receive in state aid.

“There’s no incentive to classify students for money,” she said.

I’ll be watching closely when the Governor unveils the new funding formula. Charlie’s current program—-with highly trained teachers, aides, and therapists, and autism consultants who are regularly available—is good because it is well-funded. Not that there’s any chance of us moving to Jersey City in the future; yes, I’m getting ready for higher taxes, perhaps. I just know it’s worth it to spend on Charlie now for the sake of his future which is, I think, much brighter than it could be if we lived elsewhere. And that is something I am willing to move, and (because we can, right now) pay for.

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POSTED IN: Education, Legislation, Money, New Jersey, Politics