The following was presented byJudy Savage, Executive Director, NJ Council of County Vocational-Technical Schools on April 3, 2006.

Good morning, Mr. Chairman and Honorable Members of the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee. Thank you for this opportunity to talk to you about funding for vocational-technical education as your begin your deliberations about the budget for Fiscal Year 2007.

The New Jersey Council of County Vocational-Technical School Districts recognizes that this year’s budget is extremely tight, and the choices facing the Legislature are difficult and painful. We know there are many important programs and needs that cannot be funded this year, and we applaud your careful scrutiny of the State budget to ensure that limited funds are used efficiently.

New Jersey’s 21 county vocational-technical school districts are the state’s first public schools of choice, offering a wide range of technical, occupational, and academic opportunities to 27,000 secondary students and over 50,000 adults statewide. A county-based delivery system is a cost-effective way to make these programs available to all students on a regional basis.

County vocational school programs are continually evolving to keep pace with advancing technology and to meet emerging regional and statewide economic demands. While traditional programs such as auto technology, culinary arts and building trades are still a mainstay, today’s county vocational schools are high-tech learning environments that prepare students for careers in information technology, health care, engineering, business and many other high-skill, high wage fields. By integrating rigorous academics with hands-on learning, these programs emphasize the relevance of classroom learning as they enable students to develop specialized skills that expand college options, advance their earning power, and strengthen New Jersey’s workforce.

The county vocational schools also serve as regional magnet programs for special education students. Statewide, nearly 30% of our secondary students receive special education services, and in some counties that percentage is even higher. Vocational-technical education programs give these children skills, experience, and self-confidence that they cannot get in a traditional academic classroom.

The Council and our member districts appreciate the strong support that the Legislature and this committee have provided to vocational-technical education in the past. I know that you understand how difficult another year of level funding is for all school districts. It is especially tough on county vocational school districts where programs are being expanded to serve more students or shift from a shared-time to a full-time full-service high school.

County vocational schools rely heavily on categorical aid to support occupational and special education programs, and this aid has not increased since 2001. Federal funding for vocational education, which supports the purchase of technical equipment, is now uncertain because the President has recommended eliminating this important program, which is providing $24.7 million to New Jersey. The loss of those funds in a flat-funded environment would make it impossible for vocational schools to keep their equipment current with industry standards, hurting our students and the employers who hire them.

We are very grateful to the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee and your colleagues in the Assembly for establishing a growth aid program to provide some relief to districts with rising enrollment. The Governor’s inclusion of this program in his proposed budget is a positive step, and we hope the Legislature will maintain or expand the funding level.

Similarly, the county vocational-technical schools strongly support the Higher Expectations for Learning (HELP) program, and we thank this committee for including the county vocational schools in that program last year. As you know, several urban county vocational schools serve a majority of Abbott students, but the additional state aid ordered by the courts to support these students does not follow them to the county vocational school. The aid does not remain with the sending district, but rather, it is retained by the state. The 8,000 Abbott students who enroll in county vocational schools do not benefit from any Abbott funding, although their specialized needs do not disappear.

The small amount of aid provided through HELP to the urban vocational districts that serve large Abbott populations does not fully address this disparity. But, it does acknowledge the inequity and provide some support for the Abbott students enrolled in county vocational schools. We ask that you maintain or expand the recommended funding for HELP this year. When fiscal times improve, we hope that you will consider legislation to ensure that aid for Abbott students does not disappear when they enroll in a county vocational school. (A838/S1102).

The one additional budget need I would like to highlight is something that can be addressed without any new state funding. New Jersey’s adult high school programs offer dropouts and recent immigrants a second chance to earn a high school diploma. These programs, operated by county vocational schools and local school districts, are highly successful. They actually save money by taking dropouts off the streets and welfare rolls and giving them the skills and credential they need to earn a living wage.

But, three years ago, the CEIFA funding for adult high schools was shifted into a new category known as Consolidated Aid, and school districts were told they could use the adult high school money for any purpose. With little or no increase in state aid over the past five years, many school districts are now cutting adult high schools, which are not mandated by law.

The number of adult high schools statewide has already declined from 54 in 2001 to 43 this year, and the number of students served has decreased by 25%. With state aid frozen and adult students no longer generating CEIFA aid, more districts will be unable to sustain programs for dropouts and working adults who want to earn a real high school diploma and to build a better future for themselves and their families.

The good news is that the Legislature can correct this problem without any additional cost to the state. The FY 2007 budget already includes $18.4 million for adult high schools in the line item for adult and postsecondary education (page D-95 – total line item is $28.7 million). We ask that you consider adding language in the fiscal year 2007 budget to ensure that this money will be distributed to school districts as adult high school aid rather than as generic consolidated aid.

While this will not change the state’s net appropriation or the amount received by individual school districts, it will send a powerful message that the Legislature supports adult high school programs and intends to preserve their funding. It will keep the programs afloat until you can act on Senator Kenny’s bill to restore targeted funding (S284/A1391).

In closing, another tough budget year for the state creates another tough budget year for school districts. Fixed costs are rising, enrollment is growing, state aid is stagnant, and our counties are striving to hold the line on property taxes. We thank the Legislature for considering the needs of public schools and our county vocational school districts as you wrestle with the difficult budget situation facing our state.

Thank you for this opportunity to testify.