A C T I O N A L E R T

FREEZE IN CEILING FOR

NONPUBLIC SCHOOL TRANSPORTATION

IN GOVERNOR’S PROPOSED BUDGET

ISSUE: Once again, the Governor’s Budget for FY’07 has frozen the nonpublic school transportation ceiling at $794 (the same amount as in the 2005 – 2006 school year). Unlike public school transportation, nonpublic school transportation has a statutory ceiling for the amount that can be spent to transport our students. As a result, legislation that was signed in January 2002 placed an appropriate annual increment to this amount, based on the Consumer Price Index figures for the previous year. However, subsequent Governors’ Budgets have initially negated the effects of this law. The CPI for this year would be 4.04%, a modest amount given the recent spike in fuel costs.

Our goal is to have the Legislature remove the “notwithstanding language” on Page D-110 of the Governor’s Budget to permit the CPI increase to go into effect.

OUR

POSITION: The New Jersey Catholic Conference and the New Jersey Network for Catholic School Families support the need to increase the ceiling for nonpublic school transportation by the amount of the CPI in order to preserve existing rides for students. Please consult the enclosed Fact Sheet which explains in detail the issues involved.

ACTION: Please contact the members of the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee and the Assembly Budget Committee to ask them to remove the “notwithstanding language” on Page D-110 of the Governor’s Budget in order that the CPI increase will go into effect. If you do not have a member of the Budget Committee in your particular district, please call your own State Senator and members of the New Jersey Assembly in your district and ask that they relay this information to their colleagues on the appropriate Budget Committees.

PLEASE MAKE CERTAIN THAT YOU EXPLAIN THE DEVASTATING EFFECTS THAT A LOSS OF TRANSPORTATION WOULD HAVE ON NONPUBLIC SCHOOL STUDENTS AND THEIR PARENTS, AS WELL AS CONTINUE TO MAKE CONTACT WITH THESE LEGISLATORS BETWEEN NOW AND THE END OF JUNE.

There are many issues involved in the proposed Budget, and it is critical that our concern not get placed on a “back burner.” In particular, we ask that you express continued gratitude to the following legislators who have worked to remove this “notwithstanding language” in the past: Senator Bernard Kenny (D-33), Senator Robert Littell (R-24), Assemblyman Joseph Cryan (R-20), Assemblyman Louis Greenwald (D-6), and Assemblywoman Alison McHose (R-24). All are members of either the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee or the Assembly Budget Committee.

When contacting your legislators, please make certain that you are familiar with the issue by using the Fact Sheet. Make repeated efforts to speak with them in person, by telephone, or by E-mail / fax.

Thank you for your ongoing consideration.

Representing the Archdiocese of Newark, Diocese of Camden, Diocese of Metuchen,

Diocese of Paterson, Diocese of Trenton, Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Passaic and

Our Lady of Deliverance Syriac Catholic Diocese