Schools

Education Funding Task Force Seeks Public Input at FLHS Hearing

A public hearing is scheduled for Wednesday at 3 p.m. in the Fort Lee High School library.

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie’s Education Funding Task Force will hold a public hearing Wednesday at . The task force, established in March, is seeking input from the public as members review the state’s school funding formula.

In early April, now Fort Lee Superintendent of Schools Steven Engravalle was one of seven representatives from the public and private sectors .

The group was tasked with evaluating the use of the Free and Reduced Price School Lunch Program as a measure for “at-risk” students, explore the viability of alternative measures and provide recommendations to address aspects of the school funding formula that are susceptible to fraud and abuse, according to state education officials.

Find out what's happening in Fort Leewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The task force was specifically charged with considering “economically effective” measures of student poverty, “educationally sound” measures of defining at-risk students and identifying areas of the School Funding Reform Act (SFRA) that could be abused in making its recommendations to Christie.

“Certainly it’s a topic that needs to be reviewed,” Engravalle said in April. “We have the highest per pupil expenditure in the country, and that needs to really be looked at carefully. By taking a look at these critical issues, we will ensure that education dollars are distributed in a fairer and more equitable manner for every child in New Jersey.”

Find out what's happening in Fort Leewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The Education Funding Task Force’s public hearing takes place Wednesday at 3 p.m. in the Fort Lee High School library.

State education officials urge members of the public to bring printed copies of their remarks to the hearing.

Comments can also be submitted via email or by regular mail to the following address:

Education Transformation Task Force, c/o Department of Education, 100 Riverview Plaza, PO Box 500, Trenton, NJ 08625.


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