Latest news with #KevinDehmer
Yahoo
21-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
State school officials preparing new proficiency exam
The state's top education official told lawmakers Monday that implementation of a new computerized exam could start next spring. (Courtesy of the New Jersey Governor's Office) State education officials are working to launch a new computerized student proficiency exam that could be implemented as early as next year, Education Commissioner Kevin Dehmer told the Assembly Budget Committee Monday. Dehmer told the budget panel he expects the department to begin implementing the new assessment in the spring of 2026, adding that its electronic nature will allow for speedier data analysis that could help educators address underperformance on specific topics and subjects. 'One of the big things is we're able to gain more information with less seat time, and because of the accessibility of data, we can translate that back so that teachers can focus on core areas for students so they understand where students might be struggling,' he said. The electronic test, referred to only as 'next-gen' or the 'next generation assessment' Monday, could also be tailored to student performance, allowing more advanced students to tackle tougher questions. Less advanced students could see simpler questions, Dehmer said, to better identify areas in need of improvement. 'Maybe it's with a certain teacher. It comes out they didn't emphasize something enough, they can go back and change how they're doing things to make sure students are picking that subject matter up a little bit better,' the commissioner said. The changes would come as schools are fighting to overcome learning losses incurred during the pandemic. Results from the New Jersey Student Learning Assessment released in December showed some improvement in math and English test scores, but proficiency continued to lag behind prepandemic levels in both subjects. That year, 52% of tested students met or exceeded expectations on the English language arts exam, compared to 58% in 2019, while 40% met or exceeded expectations on the math assessment, compared to 45% five years earlier. Some committee member raised concerns about proposed changes to the state's school funding formula that would allow and incentivize districts raising too little locally to seek higher property tax increases to meet their fair share — the portion of funding a school district is responsible for raising through property taxes. 'Our fear … is that we allow that to happen just for one year, which was last year, and then this kind of opens the gate to something else that we really don't have control of, of how much a district may be able to raise. It puts us in a precarious position,' said Assemblywoman Eliana Pintor Marin (D-Essex), the panel's chair. As lawmakers move to finalize a new state budget by June 30, Gov. Phil Murphy has proposed a $20 million pool of funding to encourage districts taxing beneath their local fair share to seek tax increases above the state's 2% cap on property tax growth. Murphy also wants to limit decreases in state aid to 3% and increases to 6%. Under budget language proposed by the administration, districts that raise taxes above the 2% cap would receive $1 million or 5% of the tax increase that fell above the cap, whichever is less. In recent weeks, some school districts have proposed staggering property tax increases, but Dehmer, speaking generally, said such plans could overstate the level of tax increases a district would eventually seek. 'What they chose to do was say, 'We're going to pass a resolution for the maximum amount, and we're going to work through this from there,'' Dehmer said. 'I think there was some reporting on those resolutions saying, 'We're going to go up this high,' and that may not be the final version that comes to pass.'
Yahoo
27-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Schools at the Jersey Shore to receive $11M more in aid from Trenton
Public schools across Monmouth and Ocean counties will receive $11.5 million more in state aid this year, according to figures released Thursday by the New Jersey Department of Education. Schools across both counties are set to receive $519 million from Trenton for the 2025-26 school year. Some districts here saw large increases in their state aid packages, including Barnegat (up $1.4 million), Keansburg (nearly $1.5 million) and Lakewood ($1.6 million). Other public schools saw major cuts, such as Long Branch (down $1.3 million) and the Freehold Regional High School District (down $916,000). This year, state officials said they tweaked the state aid formula, which has been widely criticized for being unpredictable and having wild swings in funding. That lack of predictability made it difficult for New Jersey schools to prepare their annual budgets. For the vast majority of schools, state officials set limits for the first time on how far state aid could swing compared to last year's numbers. Increases were kept to 6% or less while decreases were limited to no more than 3%, in most cases, Education Commissioner Kevin Dehmer said Thursday during a meeting with reporters. "It's no secret that this was a tough budget year for the state, but over the last eight years, Gov. (Phil) Murphy has ensured that the public education system remains at the forefront of his priorities for New Jersey, and this budget is no different," Dehmer told reporters. Across New Jersey, Murphy increased aid to schools by $385 million, for a total of $12.1 billion for the coming school year, according to his staff. The money will help education the state's roughly 1.4 million public school students. At the Central Regional School District in Berkeley Township, Superintendent Michelle CarneyRay-Yoder and Business Administrator Kevin O'Shea were pleased to see their aid package increase. State support to Central Regional will increase by $1 million, about 18% higher than last year's allocation, according to state figures released Thursday. "We are very pleased to get this additional state aid given the economic factors that we're facing, including large anticipated cost increases for electric, natural gas, and employee health insurance," they said in an email to the Asbury Park Press. Central Regional has also seen an increase in the district's population of low-income and English learner students, which has affected the school budget, said CarneyRay-Yoder and O'Shea. The district also receives state money as part of an interdistrict public school choice program, they said. Aid for school choice programs — as well as for students with parents in the military, county vocational schools and money needed to ensure students receive an adequate education — can lead to aid packages that exceed the 6% increase cap and 3% aid reduction limit, according to a spokesman for the Department of Education. At Toms River Regional School District, which is set to receive $1.6 million more state aid than last year, Superintendent Michael Citta said the coming school year will still be painful for students and staff. The aid package is not nearly enough to close a looming budget hole, he said. "We're still projecting a $22 million deficit next year" due to years of previous state aid cuts, Citta said in a phone call with the Press. "This (additional money) doesn't even put a little dent into the crisis that is our financial fiscal cliff." School districts are limited in how quickly they can increase local taxes for education, due to a state-mandated 2% cap on tax levy increases. However, some districts that are paying far less than what the state considers their fair share of school costs will be afforded some "flexibility" to exceed the local tax levy cap, said Dehmer, the state education commissioner. In doing so, those districts will also be eligible for some additional state funding. Details of that program, including which schools would be eligible, are expected to be released later this year, he said. Amanda Oglesby is an Ocean County native who covers education and the environment. She has worked for the Press for more than 17 years. Reach her at @OglesbyAPP, aoglesby@ or 732-557-5701. This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Jersey Shore schools see aid increase, but others face large cuts
