Voucher Bill Stalled While Urban Ed Agenda Planned
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July 15, 2010
According to several recent reports, several members of the Senate Democrat Leadership team oppose the Opportunity Scholarship Act (aka the current voucher bill), claiming it “does too little.”
The legislation, entitled the "Opportunity Scholarship Act," (S-1872 (Lesniak / Kean) / A-2810 (Fuentes) was referred to the Senate Budget & Appropriations Committee after its release from the Senate Economic Growth Committee.
An Assembly Package
The Assembly version of the bill was moved from the Assembly Education committee to the Commerce & Economic Development committee, where the Assembly sponsor, Assemblyman Angel Fuentes, is a member. The committee’s chairman, said Assemblyman Albert Coutinho (Essex) has said he will consider the proposal -- but only in the context of a larger set of urban school reform measures that has not yet been fully introduced.
“The door is not shut on Opportunity Scholarship Act, but the main concern in the Democratic caucus is it doesn’t go far enough,” said Assemblyman Albert Coutinho in an interview with NJSpotlight.
“We have a 50 percent problem in the inner cities, so what good is a 10 percent solution on its own?” he said. “It does have a chance to advance later on this year, but as part of a larger package.”
Coutinho said he and other Assembly Democrats are crafting a package that would include up to a half-dozen bills, ranging from one allowing private or parochial schools to convert to charter schools to one for improving teacher and principal tenure and evaluations.
The Newark assemblyman highlighted another bill he’s sponsoring that would create grants to expand preschool in urban areas, all funded by corporate contributions that in turn get tax credits -- much like the plan for OSA.
“All the studies show that preschool is the best return on investment in education,” he said. “I support comprehensive urban education reform, and OSA can be part of that. But OSA on its own will not be the solution that people are saying.”
The Bill
Co-sponsored by state Sens. Raymond Lesniak (Union) and Thomas Kean Jr. (Union), the program would divert $360 million in tax dollars (via tax credits from corporations) to private schools, at a time when New Jersey's public schools are absorbing a $1 billion cut in aid as proposed by Governor Christopher Christie. The money would come through corporate contributions, which would be publicly financed through tax credits.
The bill would provide scholarship vouchers of $6,000 to $9,000 for low-income students in “failing” or “low-performing” schools to attend another school, public or private. The legislation is estimated to extend scholarships to students attending more than 170 schools in 34 districts where, based on a formula, a majority of students have not passed the state’s achievement tests for consecutive years. A quarter of the scholarships would also be retained for low-income students already in non-public schools.
The Stall Out
But, while the bill passed the Senate’s economic development committee -- the first time it has cleared any committee -- it has remained in the Senate’s budget committee after disagreements arose over how best to get it through. (Senate Committee Approves School Voucher Bill During Hearing Held Outside May 13, May 13, 2010)
Lesniak openly sought agreements with other Democrats by proposing to limit the vouchers to a few select districts, but the Union County senator was, in turn, publicly rebuffed by Kean -- as well as by Gov. Chris Christie, a strong supporter -- for giving up too much. (New “Version” of Voucher Bill Would Let Lawmakers Opt Out, June 24, 2010)
Senate President Stephen Sweeney (Gloucester) has said the bill appears to have been bogged down by the weight of all the competing interests.
“I don’t know where it’s at,” Sweeney said. “It’s so all over the place. Until the Governor focuses on it, but I’m sure it’s not his priority right now.”
Sweeney said he has spoken to Christie several times about the measure, which the Governor has called one of his top education priorities, saying as recently as last month that he would demand the legislature act on it this summer.
But the Senate president sounded doubtful that would happen.
“He’s told me he wants it done,” Sweeney said. “But my position is what he wants isn’t acceptable to a lot of people on our side. Unless we come to a compromise. But this is not a priority right now compared to the other bills.”
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