Funding Advocacy Campaigns

When: March 24, 2021

What:

• Call and/or Email Governor Murphy and NJ Legislators
  • Use this sample email to contact New Jersey government officials
• Tag legislators on Twitter
  • Use hashtags #NJSOS #StopStateAidCuts
  • Make sure to use the @NJ_SOS tag along with tagging legislators

Let your voice be heard!

Why: To save the Lenape District and others from unjust budget cuts resulting from a flawed funding formula.

A Message from LRHSD Board of Education President Barry Fitzgerald

This is an unusual year and not a year for the “business as usual” attitudes from some elected officials when it comes to implementing state funding cuts. Throughout NJ and locally there have been some elected officials who joined us in our request to pause the cuts to our state funding, but not all. This is not a political party issue, it is a student issue, one that impacts every kid in the Lenape Region.

We are not alone in our demand for state funding for our students. We started a movement, right here in the Lenape region, a movement now which consists of over 130 school districts!

The Support our Students (NJSOS) group is calling March 24, 2021, Legislative Day for NJSOS.  Let our voices be heard as we collectively send letters, use social media and make phone calls to our Governor’s office and NJ Legislators. Let them know we are not going away and we will be heard!

Here is a sample letter you can personalize to email, below are  some short messages you can use for your brief phone call or tweets, and here is our website of email addresses, twitter handles and phone numbers.

Tweet or say them all or create your own:

• “COVID relief money is intended to make our schools safe for students and staff and to provide academic, emotional and social support for our students as we emerge out of this pandemic. COVID relief money cannot fill the hole created by your planned cuts to our state aid.”
   
• “Cutting state aid will have irrevocable and far-reaching consequences, hampering our ability to prepare students for success in college, careers and the workforce in a post-COVID-19 world.”
   
• “I am concerned about the negative impact S2 will have on our students. I urge all elected officials to take a positive action to address the critical issue of school funding by allocating full and fair funding for all.”
   
• “NJ is known for producing graduates prepared to succeed, the LRHSD is one of those districts which help NJ boast its recent #1 National Ranking. If our elected officials don’t find a better way to create revenue and to fix the flawed school funding formula, our district’s and our state’s great reputation for student success is at risk.”
   
• We ask for three things:

1. Pause state funding cuts caused by S2.
2. Work to update the antiquated school funding formula.
3. If a revised funding formula dictates the cuts are necessary, reestablish a better timeline for districts to manage the cuts within the capped tax levy.

• “S2 will not advance public education, it will not promote the achievement of all students and it is certainly not effective governance. Helping some students at the expense of others is wrong."

LRHSD Family, we need your help on March 24, 2021. Please mark your calendars and spend a few minutes that day to send an email, make a call or use social media to be heard.

Sincerely,

Barry Fitzgerald
President of the Board of Education
Lenape Regional High School District

RESOLUTION OF THE LENAPE REGIONAL HIGH SCHOOL DISTRICT BOARD OF EDUCATION TO JOIN IN THE FILING OF AN OPEN PUBLIC RECORDS ACT REQUEST WITH, AND POSSIBLE FUTURE RELATED LITIGATION AGAINST, THE STATE OF NEW JERSEY CONCERNING THE CALCULATION AND ALLOCATION OF STATE AID

WHEREAS, the School Funding Reform Act of 2008 (SFRA), N.J.S.A. 18A:7F-1 et seq., reflects the current New Jersey law that governs State Aid to public school districts; and

WHEREAS, the State of New Jersey (State) has appropriated limited monies to fund such State Aid for public school districts; and

WHEREAS, the State arbitrarily determines how much State Aid to allocate to each school district, without regard to district need or ability to pay; and 

WHEREAS, the Lenape Regional High School District is receiving substantially less State Aid than it otherwise should receive; and

WHEREAS, such disparate treatment is neither “equal” nor “equitable” and is without a rational basis; and

WHEREAS, the State should be transparent in how it calculates and allocates State Aid to each school district; and 

WHEREAS, to protect the interests of its school children, each school district is entitled to obtain data and records from the State as to how the State calculates and allocates State Aid to each school district; and

WHEREAS, the Lenape Regional High School District Board of Education (the “Board”) believes that it is in the best interests of its residents, taxpayers, and school children to file an Open Public Records Act request with, and if subsequently determined necessary, related litigation against, the State of New Jersey, Department of Education and the Commissioner of Education (and such other parties as may be appropriate) for data and records as to how the State calculates and allocates State Aid to each school district.

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Board hereby joins in the filing of the attached Open Public Records Act (OPRA) request at no cost to the Board; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that in the event the OPRA request is denied, the Board may subsequently elect join in the litigation against the State of New Jersey, Department of Education and the Commissioner of Education to obtain data and records from the State of New Jersey and its various Departments as to how the State calculates and allocates State Aid to each school district (“OPRA Litigation”); and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Weiner Law Group, LLP (“Special Counsel”) is hereby appointed for the limited purposes of representing the Board in connection with the filing of the OPRA request jointly with other involved public school districts, and the potential future OPRA Litigation in connection with that OPRA request, if the Board elects to join in the OPRA Litigation; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that in the event that the Board elects to join in the OPRA Litigation, the Board hereby authorizes the Lenape Regional High School District Administration to cooperate with the Special Counsel to effectuate the Board’s role in the OPRA Litigation; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that in the event that the Board elects to join in the OPRA Litigation, the Special Counsel’s fee for that representation shall be limited to $1,000.00, which represents the Board’s full share of the fees and costs associated with the OPRA Litigation, not including the cost of a subsequent appeal should that occur and should the Board elect to join in that appeal, pursuant to a retention letter to be executed between the Board and Special Counsel.

OPEN PUBLIC RECORDS ACT/COMMON LAW REQUEST

Please provide the following public record(s):

1.     For each school year (beginning with the 2008/2009 school year, up to and including the 2019/2020 school year), provide the record(s), which reflect the calculations used to determine the Statewide (1) Property Value Rate and (2) Income Rate set forth in NJSA 18A:7F-52(c).  Record(s) responsive to this request should include all numerical inputs and outputs for the calculations set forth in NJSA 18A:7F-52(c). 

2.     For each school year (beginning with the 2008/2009 school year, up to and including the 2019/2020 school year), provide the record(s), which reflect the calculations used to establish the Property Value Rate where equalization aid equals the Statewide available equalization aid for all districts determined according to the School Funding Reform Act had each school district’s local share equaled the product of the property value rate and the district’s equalized valuation and each county vocational school district’s local share equaled the product of the county vocational school district’s adequacy budget and the average local share, expressed as a percent, of the school districts located in the county. Record(s) responsive to this request should include all numerical inputs and outputs for the calculations set forth in NJSA 18A:7F-52(c).

3.     For each school year (beginning with the 2008/2009 school year, up to and including the 2019/2020 school year), provide the record(s), which reflect the calculations used to establish the Income Rate where equalization aid equals the Statewide available equalization aid for all districts determined according to this act had each school district’s local share equaled the product of the income rate and the district’s income and each county vocational school district’s local share equaled the product of the county vocational school district’s adequacy budget and the average local share, expressed as a percent, of the school districts located in the county. Record(s) responsive to this request should include all numerical inputs and outputs for the calculations set forth in NJSA 18A:7F-52(c).

4.     For each school year (beginning with the 2008/2009 school year, up to and including the 2019/2020 school year), provide the record(s), which reflect the calculations for Property Value Rate and Income Rate where the calculations did not result in equalization aid for all districts being equal to the Statewide available equalization aid. Record(s) responsive to this request should include all numerical inputs and outputs for the calculations set forth in NJSA 18A:7F-52(c).

5.     In regards to requests 1 through 4 (above), if a computer program/software is utilized, please provide record(s) (beginning with the 2008/2009 school year, up to and including the 2019/2020 school year) detailing the algorithms or program coding used to compute the data.
 

6.     For each school year (beginning with the 2008/2009 school year, up to and including the 2019/2020 school year), provide all adjustments made to the calculation of equalization aid (as calculated by N.J.S.A. 18A:7F-53) when EQAID (equalization aid) is less than zero. Please provide these record(s) for all school districts to which EQAID was calculated to be less than zero.

7.     For each school year (beginning with the 2008/2009 school year, up to and including the 2019/2020 school year), provide the State Aid Notice(s) for each school district in New Jersey.  Record(s) responsive to this request should include all “revised” notices as well.

Lenape Region School Districts Unite for Community Forum on February 13th to Address State Funding Cuts

Concerned Citizens Encouraged to Attend - Learn the “Facts” about Cuts and Suggestions for Activism

Medford, NJ - The Lenape Regional High School District and all eight of the K-8 districts in the Lenape Region – Evesham Township, Medford Township, Medford Lakes Borough, Mount Laurel Township, Shamong Township, Southampton Township, Tabernacle Township and Woodland Township – will join forces on Thursday, February 13th to host a Community Forum on state funding cuts negatively impacting these districts. Under the current state funding plan for New Jersey public schools, seven of these districts are set to lose more than a combined $23 million within seven years. The leaders among these districts have joined the statewide coalition –the Support Our Students Advocacy Group – representing all 1.4 million New Jersey public school students from more than 90 school districts statewide. This coalition was formed to create strength in numbers when spreading awareness of these cuts and working to urge state legislators to find a better way to fund New Jersey schools.

Event:
Community Forum on State Funding Cuts to Lenape Region School Districts

When:
Thursday, February 13th, 6:30 p.m.

Where:
Lenape High School Auditorium
235 Hartford Road Medford, NJ 08055

Details:
This Community Forum is open to all members of the community who are concerned about funding cuts to New Jersey schools, as well as members of the media. The evening will include remarks by the school district superintendents about the current state aid funding formula and its impact on the Lenape Region schools. It will also include time for sharing ideas to lobby legislators to consider a new plan that adequately funds ALL New Jersey schools.

I had the pleasure of participating in a conference call with other presidents of Boards of Education from throughout New Jersey last evening. This call reassured me that we are not alone in our demand for state funding for our students. We started a movement, right here in the Lenape region, a movement now which consists of 100 school districts! The Support our Students (NJSOS) group is conducting another phone and email blitz. Our calls bombarded the Governor’s office, and today, our calls will inform Senator Sweeney we are not going away, and we will be heard!

Please take two minutes out of your day to call and be heard, as the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee is holding their public hearings on the budget this week.

Those who participate should be calling Senator Sweeney’s West Deptford Office at: (856) 251-9801.  To send an email, visit the Contact Your Legislator(s) link on Senate President Sweeney’s legislative biography page.

Here are some talking points for your brief phone call and email – pick one, say them all or create your own:

• “We have an allocation issue in NJ by sending dollars to programs other than all of our K-12 public schools. The students in New Jersey need to hear the Senator say he is going to shift funding to address the inequities created by the implementation of S2.”
  
  
• “I am concerned about the negative impact S2 will have on our students. I urge the members of the Senate work with the Governor and take a positive action to address the critical issue of school funding by allocating full and fair funding for all.”
  
  
• “NJ is known for producing graduates prepared to succeed, the LRHSD is one of those districts which help NJ boast its recent #1 National Ranking. If Senator Sweeney and the Governor don’t find a better way to create revenue and to fix the flawed school funding formula, our district’s and our state’s great reputation for student success is at risk.”
  
  
• “The Senator has stated that it was never the intent of S2 to negatively impact students, but that is exactly what is happening to half a million children in New Jersey.”
  
  
• “S2 will not advance public education, it will not promote the achievement of all students and it is certainly not effective governance. Helping some students at the expense of others is wrong.”

LRHSD Family, we need your help. Please invest a few minutes of your day TODAY and send an email and make a call.

Sincerely,

Barry Fitzgerald
President of the Board of Education
Lenape Regional High School District

The LRHSD Blitz!

Five days from today, the Governor of New Jersey will be giving his Fiscal Year 2021 Budget address in Trenton. Tomorrow we want a Lenape Region Blitz of phone calls to his office and emails to his staff. We are asking for everyone who cares about the current and future opportunities for our students to speak up!

We are not alone in this blitz as Freehold Regional, Toms River Regional, North Warren, Jefferson Township, Greenwich Township, Washington Township (Long Valley), Pitman Public Schools, and every district in Cape May County have already told me they are joining us. The LRHSD Blitz is now a Jersey Blitz!

We need everyone’s assistance tomorrow pertaining to state funding!  Therefore, tomorrow I am requesting that you send an e-mail to the Governor and also place a phone call to the Governor’s Office.

Here are some talking points for your brief phone call – pick one, say them all or create your own:

 “The students in New Jersey need to hear the Governor say he is going to increase funding to address the inequities created by the implementation of S2 during his FY21 Budget address.”

 “I am concerned about the negative impact S2 will have on our students. I urge the Governor take a positive action to address the critical issue of school funding during his FY21 Budget address by allocating full and fair funding for all.”

 “NJ is known for producing graduates prepared to succeed, the LRHSD is one of those districts which help NJ boast its recent #1 National Ranking. If the Governor doesn’t find a better way to create revenue and to fix the flawed school funding formula, our district’s and our state’s great reputation for student success is at risk.”

 “S2 will not advance public education, it will not promote the achievement of all students and it is certainly not effective governance. Helping some students at the expense of others is wrong.”

LRHSD Family, we need your help. Please invest 10 minutes of your day tomorrow to  send an e-mail and make a call.

Here is the contact information:

Governor’s Office phone number: 1-609-292-6000 

E-Mail: constituent.relations@nj.gov 

Feel free to use our sample letter (PDF or Word) or create your own, as I am sure there are many LRHSD voices and opinions that need to be shared!

Thank you for speaking up and joining this important endeavor,

Dr. Carol L. Birnbohm
Superintendent of Schools
Lenape Regional High School District

Dear Parent (s)/Guardian(s):

I am writing on behalf of the Lenape Regional High School District to ask for your help. As you may know, the percentage of state funding the LRHSD receives annually has been drastically reduced over the past eleven years.  In July 2018, we learned from the NJ Department of Education that our district would experience a $386,710.00 reduction in 2018-2019 state funding, in addition to the $574,746.00 loss in state aid we already had planned for in this year’s budget. That is a total loss of $961,456.00 for this fiscal year alone.

The Board of Education and our administrative team made the necessary reductions in expenditures this year to balance the 2018-2019 budget. Next year, as a result of the new state aid plan, we expect a reduction of approximately $681,736.00 in funding. The state outlined additional reductions for the next six years, bringing our district’s total amount projected loss within seven years to $8,308,950.00 ($8.3 million).

We are not alone in this funding challenge. Six of the K-8 districts in the Lenape Region are facing reductions in their funding as well. The Lenape Region will face a combined approximately $24 million in state aid reductions. Student programming, staffing and operations at every district in the region will feel the impact.

We do not want to sit back and simply “brace” for impact. We invite you to become part of our effort to find a solution for a long-term state-funding plan that is fair to all school districts – one that makes it possible to continue to deliver the highest quality education to our students.

Please join us on Thursday, February 21 at 6:30 p.m. for a Lenape Regional Community Informational Forum where you can get the “facts” about these reductions and the projected effects they will have on our schools and in turn, our communities. You will also learn about a statewide coalition – the Support Our Students Advocacy Group – consisting of more than 70 school districts representing 150,000 students who are impacted by this funding plan. You will learn how YOU can join the coalition’s effort to fight for our district and, most important, our students. Knowledge can be powerful, and together, we can effect change! #BetterTogether

Save the Date:

• Topic:  Community Forum on State Funding Cuts to our Region
• When:  Thursday, February 21, 2019
• Where: Shawnee High School-Large Group Instruction Room (LGI)
• Time:   6:30 p.m.

We truly look forward to seeing you at the forum on February 21st. Thanking you in advance for your concern, passion and participation in this initiative to protect and preserve the Lenape Region’s schools – a cornerstone of our communities. 

Sincerely,

Carol L. Birnbohm, Ed. D.

Superintendent of Schools

Good Afternoon Parents and Community Members:

At our recent Lenape Region Community Forum, over 400 people in attendance left the evening well informed about the following: our district’s efforts in being responsible stewards of available resources, the catastrophic nature of the impending cuts to operations and programs, and, well-armed with information to share with our community. 

The projected loss of state aid within seven years for LRHSD is approximately $8.3 million.  As members of the advocacy group, Support Our Students (SOS), whose mission is to ensure that the Governor and legislature provide equitable funding for every student and school district in New Jersey, we are requesting your assistance in communicating the urgent situation created by the planned state aid cuts.  

How can you get involved?

1. Write/call the governor’s office.
2. Write/call our state legislators.
3. Attend the SOS’s first rally on March 5th at the state capitol.

Sample letters, sample email messages and email addresses are attached which you could send if you wish to express concern regarding the impending state aid cuts. Send these or create your own messages.  It is anticipated that there will be in excess of 2,000 people attending the rally.  A strong and visual presence will have an impact on the legislators; it is imperative we maximize attendance.

If you would like to participate in the rally, please register at March5Rally. We can assist with transportation on a first come first served basis, if needed.

Our website www.lrhsd.org/SOS has a copy of our Community Forum presentation, details about the March 5th Rally and other related information.

Together, we believe, we can make a difference!

With gratitude,

Dr. Carol L. Birnbohm
Superintendent of Schools

Margaret M. Estlow
LRHSD Board of Education President