Subject: Some Jersey School Budgets Pass, Even When They're Defeated: (From Millennium Radio) It doesn't happen often, but every year residents in a handful of Jersey towns vote down their proposed school budgets, and municipal officials approve the budget anyway - not because they want to, but because they're required to do so by law. Department of Education Commissioner Lucille Davy says for the past 10 years, there has been a minimum tax levy requirement that's been factored into the school funding formula- which sets a certain level of money local towns must collect from taxpayers for their local school district - and the amount is usually not allowed to decrease from the pervious year "and that is really to make sure that a community doesn't choose to just basically kind of walk away from its obligation to fund the district... I think given a choice, most people would say they don't want to pay anything for anything, right? I mean most people would rather not pay more taxes…you want to make sure the local community maintains its share of the effort, otherwise the quality of education can decline." Even though this system virtually ensures school budgets will almost never decrease, Davy says it doesn't discourage school districts from coming up with creative ways to try and save money because "we don't subsidize spending above adequacy - the expectation is they are getting to the efficiency point." At the same time, she adds "there is absolutely nothing in here that's intended to either force people to spend more, or to force them to spend inefficiently - in fact, it's quite the contrary…the focus here is on efficient and effective investment of the resources, both the State resources, and the local resources."

RESPONSE: HUH? The present way that we fund education in the State of New Jersey...relying on property taxes at a larger level than any other State is about rich folks who live in rich little towns NOT paying teir fair share. This is the essence of the Republi CON...to benefit the super rich at the expense of the middle class...all marketed as 'cutting taxes'...when all that is cut is income taxes, or taxes that are paid in larger quantities by the rich...thus resulting in higher taxes as in the case of education...increases in property taxes...that don't effect those who live in rich incorporated enclaves like Linwood and Longport...quite the contrary...the game of cutting taxes on wealth, results in increased taxes on the middle class...and too many in the middle class seem to stupid to get it. As Obama pointed out...they vote against their own economic interests as they are manipulated on divisive cultural issues so artfully by the REPUGS!!!