COURT HOUSE – Sen. Jeff Van Drew (D-1st) and Education Commissioner Lucille Davy hosted a meeting at Atlantic Cape Community College March 13 to discuss the state’s new school-funding formula with local board of education members and the public.

Van Drew and Davy’s overall message for Cape May County School districts is “It's time to put your thinking caps on,” and be creative and strategic in dealing with the new legislation that seeks to consolidate or eliminate districts in the name of efficiency.
Van Drew said the 1st District has had the greatest decrease in enrollment at 11 percent countywide and he noted the county has the highest ratable increase in the state.

Davy said the county is being hit by the “clashing of the perfect storm” with enrollment decreasing and property value rising across the state, especially in shore communities.

Davy said the formula is intended to bring equity and fairness in funding across the state.

“We want to make sure we do what is favorable to the taxpayers and the students,” Van Drew said.

Davy said county enrollment was once 15,000 students and is now below 14,000 students. When there was no formula to implement, Davy said the state continued to use education statistics from 2001 without recognizing the county’s changing demographics.

With changes in the economy, “The funding is just not there,” she said.

Representatives of the county’s two non-operating school districts, Cape May Point and West Wildwood, showed concern that the new legislation prohibits the state’s 23 non-operating school districts from voting on consolidation changes. The new county executive superintendent is given the power to decide on their behalf.

Davy said almost half of the students at risk of poverty live outside Abbott boundaries and the new formula will provide resources to kids in need regardless of their community.

She said funding has been equalized across the state and it should be enough to meet the needs of all students.

Cape May County’s Executive Superintendent Terrance Crowley will look at districts smaller than K-12 over the next three years and work with municipalities to make them all K-12 districts.

“Nothing can be done unwillingly and you will have the opportunity to vote,” Davy said.

Davy used the Huntington School District as an example in which many grades share a single classroom.

“That’s not the best way to provide education in the 21st century,” she said.

Davy spoke about globalization of the workforce and economy and how today’s students need to be prepared for competition with foreign countries and with technology itself, “it’s not futuristic anymore,” she said.

The formula expects all communities to contribute at a rate of 3 percent. Wealthier communities will be expected to “share the wealth.” Regionalized communities will pool assets and spread the common costs. Crowley will look at district’s administrative structures and see how they can share resources and cut administrative redundancies.

Davy said there are no pre-conceived notions for the size of districts but she said the formula was based on a K-12 district with about 5,000 students. She said the focus is not on school size but rather on district size.

One attendee commented that a large district is no better than a small one.

“If you want to pay $24,000 per pupil for 20 students, we can’t stop that, but you wont get more aid and don’t expect the rest of the state to subsidized it,” Davy said.

Without action now, Van Drew said property tax and tuition costs would skyrocket in the future.

He said for tax rates to be tolerable there may be a need for one superintendent to deal with many schools.

Crowley will investigate alternatives for send-and-receive arrangements for students sent to Abbott districts.

Woodbine Business Administrator Alan Parmalee said the district would like to consider sending to another district but doesn’t have the money for a feasibility study. Davy said the state is looking into making money available for feasibility studies by schools as well as municipalities.

West Wildwood School Board President Steve Cava said tuition costs to send high school students to a neighboring district is increasing significantly under the new formula. He said he was contacted by several other non-operating school districts interested in filing a joint class action lawsuit for being denied due process.

The new state law gives the county executive superintendent the power to decide how to consolidate or eliminate the county’s two non-operating districts.

Though many of Van Drew and Davy’s comments were about Crowley, he did not address the audience.

Freeholder Ralph Bakley, director of education, thanked Van Drew for providing a county executive superintendent solely focused on Cape May County noting Cumberland and Atlantic Counties must share services.

“It’s a tough time to be in government and education,” Bakley said.

Contact Truluck at (609) 886-8600 Ext 24 or at: ltruluck @cmcherald.com.