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action including potential changes to the NJ Constitution. as double-dipping, limit sick leave payouts at retirement to
For NJPSA members, this was a time of great risk, since all $15,000, introduce 401(k)-type programs for new public
four committees had potential adverse consequences to their employees, and introduce concepts of cost sharing in
personal and professional welfare: health benefits by employees. During the Corzine years, the
retirement age was raised from 60 to 62, pension eligibility
• The School Funding Reform Joint Legislative Committee standards for part-time workers were increased, and legislation
was specifically charged with developing a new school permitting the state/local boards to offer employees waivers
funding formula, including proposals to control school not to take health insurance was enacted.
district spending, particularly administrative spending.
In the area of school funding, NJPSA and its membership
• The Joint Legislative Committee on Government became actively engaged in the development of the third
Consolidation and Shared Services was specifically funding formula since the 1990 Abbott decision. A key
charged with examining proposals put forth by Speaker recommendation of education finance researchers and the
Joe Roberts to consolidate oversight of administrative Joint Committee was the use of Professional Judgment Panels
spending at the Executive County Superintendent level, to (PJPs) of educators in the development of a new funding
consider forced consolidations of school districts in some formula. These educator PJPs would analyze the real-world
cases, and to create county based school districts. costs of providing an education to students with specific
characteristics at each grade level according to New Jersey’s
• The Joint Committee on Public Employee Benefits Reform learning standards. NJPSA organized such PJP discussions
was to review abuses of the system of benefits provided with over 100 NJPSA members to assess the costs of staffing
to NJPSA members and other public employees shortly a preschool, elementary, middle and high school classroom,
after a State Committee on Investigation (SCI) Report specialty classrooms (labs, gyms, libraries, etc.), as well as
had notoriously revealed some lavish salaries, perks the additional needs and associated costs for the services
and benefits abuses of some school superintendents, needed by students with special characteristics at these grade
and a Benefits Review Task Force Report (2005) had levels (ELL, special education, low socioeconomic, etc.) in the
recommended significant changes to the types and levels different regions of the state.
of pensions and health benefits afforded public employees.
NJPSA’s GR staff compiled and submitted this input to the
• The Constitutional Reform Committee posed the threat of NJDOE, which was working with national school finance expert
direct and permanent changes to the State Constitution, John Augenblich to develop New Jersey’s foundation funding
emanating from the other three committees and moving levels and special per pupil weights for the next iteration of the
directly to New Jersey citizens for a vote! school funding law, the School Funding Reform Act (SFRA).
In this way, the principals and supervisors who
NJPSA’s GR Team attended the vast majority of the 32 actually led New Jersey’s schools had a direct voice
public hearings held by the four legislative committees, in establishing the foundation funding levels that were
testified through NJPSA members or Debra Bradley at each ultimately adopted in that 2008 statute.
separate committee to present the association’s perspectives/
recommendations, and subsequently developed positions and Fortunately, New Jersey did not hold a Citizens’ Constitutional
lobbying efforts on the 233 pieces of legislation, including 63 Convention, choosing instead to work through the legislative
proposed constitutional amendments, that were subsequently process and our elected officials to make reforms. The Special
introduced as a result of this Special Session! Session was a significant period of intensive legislative activity
that NJPSA fully participated in. Many of the bills developed
In the area of consolidation, NJPSA fought legislation that during that time period have been considered, some enacted
would have required county-based collective bargaining, into law and others are still re-filed for future consideration by
established countywide school districts, and required small future Legislatures as the political winds continue to change.
school districts (less than 500 students) to share/consolidate
administrative services. As the Corzine era came to its close, in a preemptive move,
the State filed a motion (2008) seeking a declaration that
The pension and benefits reforms that resulted were just the SFRA was constitutional. After a month-long trial, the NJ
the tip of the iceberg for the next 15 years of proposed Supreme Court found the new formula constitutional so long
pension and benefits reductions and our battles against as it was fully funded for the first three years and was reviewed
them. This initial round did result in 112 proposed pension and accordingly adjusted as needed (2009). The Court also
and health benefits reform bills, which included proposals lifted the parity and supplemental program remedies that had
to raise the retirement age for new enrollees, modify the been in effect for many years.
pension formula calculations, eliminate pension abuses such