Politicians' Proposals Have School Officials Dreaming

Under budget plans announced by state Democrats Monday, Warren Township and Watchung Hills Regional schools would enjoy a healthy increase in state aid.

And if the proposed "Millionaire's tax" (an increased income tax rate for the highest income earners) should see the light of day, state aid to the districts would be positively explosive: from this year's $277,674 to $1,208,900 for township schools and an increase from $196,723 to $828,911 for the high school.

"That would cause me to do cartwheels," WHRHS Superintendent Frances Stromsland said at hearing the proposals.

That's not to say Dr. Stromsland is ready to start calculating the property tax reductions ($1 million in state aid could lower the tax rate by 3 cents); she's been in education long enough to be more sanguine about state aid announcements before anything in finalized.

"That means they would probably be cutting something else," she said, after a pause.

School districts seem to be the pawns in the newest round of political playmaking by Trenton, with legislators trying to one-up each other in sweetening school funding formula deals.

Consider a letter sent by sate Sen. Michael Doherty, R-23, to the Warren Township school board members outining a proposed school funding plan he's asking them to support (his legislative webpage doesn't mention this bill, so it must still be in preliminary stages).

According to board member James Sena, speaking during a report of the board's Finance Committee meeting at Monday's Board of Education meeting, Sen. Doherty's plan would increase the township district's state aid from zero—which Mr, Sena noted wasn't corrrect—to about $16 million, more than half of the district's total budget.

"Needless to say, the committee was a bit skeptical about that," Sena said.

He did suggest checking with other districts in the county and state to see if others reached the same conclusion.

Regardless, one can't blame them for dreaming a bit ....