Locals talk tax reform proposals

[news]

Concerns about school funding

Local school officials are skeptical about a series of legislative recommendations regarding public school funding reform aimed at providing tax relief.

They say a majority of the recommendations made by a joint legislative panel in November — including provisions to create a new school funding formula and move April school board elections to November — were problematic. Other recommendations — creating a minimum level of state aid for each district, for instance, and limiting out-of-district special education placements — could be a step in the right direction, they said.

The recommendations were part of a larger report on tax reform issued Nov. 15 and revised on Dec. 1 by four joint legislative panels convened as part of a special Legislative session called by Gov. Jon Corzine over the summer to address property taxes and the state budget.

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