Bills
propose private funds for vouchers
4,000 kids would benefit
Wednesday, November 30, 2005 • BY JOHN MOONEY
• Star-Ledger Staff
In what could be the first big
legislative test for New Jersey's school voucher supporters,
a pair of bills was filed that would provide privately
funded scholarships for 4,000 children in four cities to
attend schools of their choice.
The proposed Urban Schools Scholarship
Act would create pilot programs in Newark, Orange, Camden
and Trenton where low-income children could tap scholarships
of up to $9,000 to attend private schools or public schools
outside their district, backers say.
They would be funded entirely by
corporate contributions that, under the new bills, would in
turn qualify for state tax credits of up to $24 million the
first year and $120 million by the fifth year of the
pilot.
The tax-credit approach is a version of
the better-known publicly funded voucher concept that has
been debated nationally, and these bills are sure to be
contested by powerful players on each side.
Aimed at the Legislature's upcoming
lame-duck session, some of the state's top religious
leaders, including Newark Archbishop John J. Myers, plan to
press the proposal. The state's formidable teachers union is
among those certain to fight it.
Acting Gov. Richard Codey's spokeswoman
said yesterday Codey remains opposed to vouchers, although
added he would not block hearings or a vote on the measures.
Incoming Gov. Jon Corzine's office was even less committal,
although as a candidate he also opposed vouchers.
But a big twist this time is the bills'
backing from some prominent Democratic legislators,
including state Sen. Joseph Doria (D-Hudson). A rally in
support of the bills is planned for next Monday on the State
House steps where Myers and the Rev. Reginald Jackson,
president of the state's black clergy council, also are
expected to attend.
"This is a splendid opportunity for the
state to give evidence that it is committed to insuring that
poor children have the same chance for a good education as
any child in the state," Jackson said yesterday.
Filed earlier this month, the bills are
the first serious attempt to bring a voucher-like program
into New Jersey in several years and the first ever to have
significant legislative backing.
In addition to Doria, the Senate bill is
co-sponsored by state Sen. Robert Martin (R-Morris). The
Assembly bill's co-sponsors are Assemblywoman Nilson
Cruz-Perez (D-Camden), the late Assemblyman Donald Tucker
(D-Essex) and Assemblyman Mims Hackett Jr. (D-Essex), the
mayor of Orange.
Martin said he has already been
confronted by the New Jersey Education Association about his
sponsorship of the bill and conceded it may be tough to pass
so quickly before the end of the year.
Former Gov. Christie Whitman and former
gubernatorial candidate Bret Schundler both proposed school
vouchers paid by public funds, but never could even find a
single legislative sponsor.
"We had to break the mold, and I think
this proposal has a better chance than most," Martin said
last night. "We do need our public schools, but for some of
them, I think there needs to be better incentive to improve
that competition can provide."
While publicly funded vouchers get most
of the attention, the use of tax credits to boost private
scholarship funds is not new. Several states have similar
programs in place that have provided tuition help to tens of
thousands of children.
This proposal would be modeled after the
Pennsylvania Corporate Tax Credit Scholarship Program that
has provided scholarships to 25,000 students, advocates
say.
Under the bills, corporations could write
off contributions to either scholarship funds or education
improvement organizations that would provide money for
"innovative public school programs."
Total contributions eligible for tax
credits would be limited to $24 million in the first year
and $120 million in year five.
Only students in those respective cities
would be eligible, and they would have to be from families
earning less than 2.5 times the federal poverty level, or
about $48,000 for a family of four. They could attend either
private schools or public schools outside their hometowns,
which typically charge tuition.
Participating schools would have to
accept all students that apply and take the scholarship as
full tuition payment. Elementary school students would
receive up to $6,000, and high school students would qualify
for up to $9,000. Typical tuitions can range from $4,000 to
upwards of $20,000 a year.
The 190,000-member NJEA has been among
the strongest critics of voucher programs and is seen as the
chief reason that no such program has ever been proposed in
the Legislature, let alone passed. The union claims vouchers
would drain money and students from public schools, and that
argument didn't change yesterday.
The tax-credit approach is "just another
name for the same thing," said NJEA spokesman Steve
Baker.
"We still feel very strongly against
diverting public funds in any means, including through tax
credits, to private education," he said. "Given the state's
current budget situation, to offer tax credits out of the
budget is especially inappropriate."
John Mooney covers education. He may be reached at
jmooney@star ledger.com, or 973-392-1548.
© 2005 The Star-Ledger. Used by NJ.com with
permission.
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