Davy says Education Dept. faces doing more with less Legislators sympathize with the acting commissioner and suggest adding employees Tuesday, May 16, 2006 • BY JOHN MOONEY • Star-Ledger Staff Since the 1980s, the state Department of Education has seen its staffing cut almost in half as its responsibilities increased dramatically. And while acting Education Commissioner Lucille Davy described to legislators yesterday still more department programs and oversight to come, she didn't hide the tight straits already faced within her agency. She said the department's staff is down to about 800 employees, including another 18 positions cut under Gov. Jon Corzine's proposed budget, and she called the department's computer system "generations removed from where it should be." "The department is already quite lean, but we have worked hard over the past few months to comply with Governor Corzine's di rective to reduce costs and improve efficiency," Davy told the Senate Budget Committee. "There is no question that we will place a greater focus on accountability as we move forward," she said. Davy -- said to be a finalist for the permanent commissioner post -- stressed that she wasn't complaining about the state of her department, as much as explaining it. She added that before looking at any more staffing, a review is needed to ensure the current employees are best utilized. She said other cost savings have been found, including a reduction in agency vehicles and cell-phone use and a "paperless" -- mostly on line -- state board of education that will save $35,000 alone in document copying. But some on the Senate committee questioned if the additional help was needed to fulfill what they described as the department's critical functions. The department operates on about $66 million a year, while distributing and tracking a budget of more than $10.5 billion in state and federal aid to local districts. "I know this won't go over well, but I think the department of education is too small," said state Sen. Joseph V. Doria (D-Hudson). "I'm not one for empire building, but given the department's responsibility and the $10 billion (it oversees) ... it would seem to me that having one employee for every $10 million out there is not a good way to insure there is very good accountability," Doria said. The capacity of the department has been a concern in and outside Trenton, with district officials and school advocates saying the strains are clearly showing on an agency that is being asked to do more with less. Earlier this month, state Attor ney General Zulima Farber also told the state Supreme Court that the state had failed to adequately review and track billions of dollars spent to meet the court's mandates under the Abbott v. Burke school equity rulings. But even so, more work for the department is on the way. The state has expanded to seven grades of student testing, and a new monitoring system is soon to be launched that will see each of the state's more than 600 school districts annually reviewed for their fiscal, instructional and other operations. Assembly Speaker Joseph J. Roberts (D-Camden) has also proposed a new local budgeting process in which the state approves every districts' annual budget and administrator contracts through its county offices. John Mooney covers education. He may be reached at jmooney@star ledger.com, or (973) 392-1548. © 2006 The Star-Ledger. Used by NJ.com with permission.