N.J. panel OKs private-school aid for low-income students

In an unusual, and at times raucous, outdoor hearing attended by hundreds of school-choice advocates, a New Jersey Senate committee unanimously approved a bill Thursday that would create scholarships for some low-income children to attend private or out-of-district public schools.

The Opportunity Scholarships, designed to aid students in failing schools, would be funded by contributions from companies in exchange for dollar-for-dollar tax credits. The measure received fervent support and sharp criticism at the Economic Growth Committee hearing in Trenton.

The bill, which calls for a five-year pilot program, stipulates that the district from which a scholarship recipient departs would see its per-pupil aid diminish. That money would be put into an Educational Innovation Fund from which grants could be made to improve the state's struggling schools.

"The governor and the Department of Education strongly support the Opportunity Scholarship Act," Education Commissioner Bret Schundler testified at the hearing.

He said the measure would increase opportunities for students, reduce the burden on taxpayers, and encourage failing schools to pursue innovation. Representatives from Jewish and Catholics schools, which could see increased enrollment and whose families would get support, spoke in favor of the bill.

Increasing school choice through scholarships, charter schools, and other measures is a priority of Gov. Christie's education agenda. However, some criticized the bill, which they said would result in a loss of tax revenue that could be put to other uses.

The state's major organizations for principals, supervisors, administrators, school boards, and teachers all came out against the bill. Among the objections are that it would take money from struggling schools at a time when aid already has been cut.

Some were critical that up to 25 percent of the scholarship funds could go to children already enrolled in private schools. They questioned the students' level of need. Advocates for the private schools said their children often came from families of modest means.

The bill does not require enough accountability from private schools and "is designed to undermine public education," said Marie Blistan, an official with the New Jersey Education Association, which represents most of the state's teachers.

To qualify, a student from a family of four must have a household income of no more than $55,000, according to information provided by Senate Democrats. The scholarships would be about $6,000 for elementary and middle school students and about $9,000 for high schoolers. The schools could not charge tuition beyond the scholarships.

In the first year, the program would provide 5,000 to 7,600 scholarships worth $24 million. That would increase each year to 19,000 scholarships worth $120 million in the final year.

Of the state's 2,580 schools, 205 fit the bill's definition of failing, according to the information. They include more than 20 Camden city schools, as well as a smattering of Camden charters and schools in Burlington and Gloucester Counties.

Sen. Raymond Lesniak (D., Union), a sponsor of the measure, said the bill was intended for students at failing schools, not all students in a district.

Before the start of the hearing, hundreds of demonstrators, including many charter and private school students, rallied outside the Statehouse Annex in support of the bill.

The committee room was packed with NJEA representatives who were asked to provide half of their seats to the bill's supporters, according to Lesniak. When they refused, he decided to have the hearing outdoors, calling it "a civics lesson" for the students.

Steve Baker, a NJEA spokesman, called it "a circus," saying that there was seating and standing room available inside.

Christie, who recently criticized students who walked out of class to protest school aid cuts, was "oddly silent" about the children who took the morning to attend the rally, Baker said. The union and the governor have been engaged in a bitter battle for months.

Earlier Thursday, the Senate Education Committee approved a bill that would expand and make permanent the Interdistrict Public School Choice Program that allows students to attend cooperating out-of-district public schools. Largely seen as a successful program mostly devoid of controversy, it started as a five-year pilot in 2000 and last school year served about 900 students in 15 districts.

Both bills must move through the Budget and Appropriations Committee before going to a full Senate vote. Then they must be approved by the Assembly.