Senate president discusses public school funding

ORANGE, NJ — State Senate President Stephen Sweeney came to St. Matthew African Methodist Episcopal Church in Orange on Thursday, Sept. 1, to discuss with several local elected officials his plan for public school funding, as an alternative to the new public school funding formula Gov. Chris Christie wants to implement.

“We had some good, decent public servants, who are about the business of equalizing funding for urban education,” said Orange Mayor Dwayne Warren, who attended church meeting along with Orange Superintendent of Schools Ron Lee, North Ward Councilwoman Tency Eason, former Councilman Elroy Corbitt and former Orange Board of Education President Pat Arthur.

“Senate President Steve Sweeney, who we’ve roped into this issue around funding … he’s got a proposal to establish an appropriate commission that would recommend 100-percent funding across the board. He pointed out that there’s some districts that might receive 140 percent and some who receive 40 percent. Both will cry foul and say we don’t have enough, but certainly equity would mean that we get some across the board,” Warren said.

According to Corbitt, Sweeney’s plan would be very good for the Orange School District, but would negatively impact other districts, such as East Orange and West Orange.

“Orange stands to gain about $16 million from the Sweeney plan, so do I support that plan, if it goes through and Orange gets money, yes. But you just can’t look at Orange; you have to look at the whole state of New Jersey and do this thing fairly,” said Corbitt on Thursday, Sept. 1.

“I’m grateful to the mayor for having the wherewithal to invite Sen. Sweeney to come to the city of Orange. He could have been anywhere, but he decided to come to Orange. So I believe, because of the fact we went down to Trenton in June to speak before the state Board of Education, that it certainly didn’t fall on deaf ears.

“The drawback from Sen. Sweeney’s plan is that other districts stand to lose — districts such as East Orange, possibly West Orange, where they might be impacted and lose more money, but Orange is hurting much more than they are. East Orange would only stand to lose about $1 million from the current governor’s plan. Orange is scheduled to lose about $38 million from the governor’s current plan. And so you see the big difference there. So if Sweeney’s plan is elected and voted on in a positive way, East Orange does in fact stand to lose money and other districts as well.”

The mayor recognized Sweeney may be one of a handful of elected officials considering a run for governor next year, when Christie’s term ends, but he said he didn’t think the Sweeney was visiting Orange for purely political reasons.

“We’re in a period where there is a governor who is going out; there is a gubernatorial race next year, so instead of focusing on what’s going out, we need to focus on what’s coming in and what we’re going to elect and make sure that those gubernatorial candidates come before us and understand what our needs are and make us part of the plan,” Warren said. “It’s important because we chose to raise our voices. All the votes across the state are important. But they come to see where people are raising their voices and making an issue out of their funding issue. Certainly, we are going to continue to do that.”

“In Orange, we have leaders who are smart; who are experienced and know where the levers of power are, and we intend to make sure that we pull every one, to make sure that we get what we need,” Warren continued. “We know that it’s election time. We know that, if you’re not part of our program, in terms of equal funding and a good urban education policy, we will go out and sing a song about how you’re not for urban America. And certainly you have to be. That’s where the people are; that’s where the need is. If we lift cities, our suburbs get lifted as well and our state gets lifted as well.”

The mayor said equal funding for urban school districts “has to become a priority.” And he said that’s only going to happen “when we, as leaders, have to make it a priority.”

“Our children deserve the very best and we are going to fight until we get that,” he added.

Arthur and David Armstrong, who were both in the audience at St. Matthew AME Church on Thursday, Sept. 1, said they weren’t as impressed as Warren by what they heard.

“I’m a parent. I’m a homeowner. I pay taxes in the city of Orange and I have two children in the public schools — a 7-year-old in the second grade and a 15-year-old that’s going to Orange High, that’s in the 10th grade,” said David Armstrong on Thursday, Sept. 1. “I consider myself a parent leader and a parent advocate, when it comes to education, especially special needs. What I heard from Senate President Sweeney was the same thing I heard when Orange went down to Trenton in June and had the opportunity to speak to the Education Committee and Assemblywoman (Sheila) Oliver and some other people, and they said they were going to look into it.”

David Armstrong said the superintendent has been “holding it down” and “doing the best that he can” with the static education funding the Orange school district has been receiving from the state for years, beginning with former Gov. Jon Corzine and throughout Christie’s tenure. He said he knows the superintendent could do better with more help and support, in terms of funding from the state.

“I appreciate Senate President Sweeney coming up here today, but it’s the same as usual,” said Arthur Armstrong on Thursday, Sept. 1. “I pay my taxes. I give to the state. I’m a homeowner. I’m a father. I’m a dad. I’m a parent advocate. All I ask is that they do the same thing that they expect from me — and that’s to do what they are supposed to do.”

“I was not convinced by Sen. Sweeney that he has the interest at heart honestly about Orange, the Orange community and the children of Orange and he has to come off better than what he did,” continued Arthur Armstrong. “I am not convinced. He did not convince me.”