Garden State Coalition of Schools

What it reported doing in 2025

Gscs makes a permanent commitment to improving education without diminishing quality. Gscs provides a broad perspective reflecting the concerns of educators, school board members, communities and parents. Gscs emphasizes and advocates on the inter-related issues of academic achievement, educational practices and rational school finance. Gscs' primary focus is on the interrelated issues of academic achievement, education practices and school finance. The organization supports efforts towards more equitable education opportunities for all school children. Wise public policy includes a permanent commitment to both quality and equity. Gscs believes that equity should be achieved by improving education and not by diminishing quality and eliminating school programs that have led to high student achievement. We are proud to be strong, positive leaders in education thought and action. During the njsba/njpsa/njasbo fall conference, we co hosted the annual njsba/gscs legislative session, featuring prominent lawmakers from both parties. Though we met virtually all year, we featured prominent speakers at all our monthly meetings. Gscs continues to be a strong presence in trenton. Over the past year, we have attended regular meetings of the senate and assembly education committees, the joint committee on public schools, the state board of education and many other committee meetings, conferences and gatherings that focus on k-12 education. Gscs presents testimony in person or submits written testimony to those groups and works behind the scenes on legislation and legislative issues including, but not limited to funding, school security, sel/mental health, assessment, hib, and special education. We are conscious of our ongoing responsibility to contest the unfunded mandates that burden districts with both extra responsibilities and expenses. Now more than ever, the strength of gscs is in its member districts. We continue to communicate via twitter, the daily buzz news round-up, and through the weekly news and notes publication. We speak to individual member district superintendents, board members and ba's on a regular basis, working to solve problems, advise on advocacy, increase membership and spread the word about gscs.

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 69.6%; rating input score 70
• Program expense ratio: 81.7%; rating input score 82
• Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

• Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
• Pay-setting controls: Limited
• Foreign activity oversight: Limited
• Grant itemization coverage: Limited
• Major donor itemization: Limited
• Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

• Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
• Governance controls: 3 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 38
  • Conflict-of-interest policy: Fail
  • Whistleblower policy: Fail
  • Document-retention policy: Fail
  • CEO compensation review process: Pass
  • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
  • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
  • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
  • Audit committee oversight: Missing
  • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

• Operating margin: 14.8%; rating input score 64; 64th percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.7; rating input score 32; 32nd percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.02; rating input score 34; 34th percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 65.1%; rating input score 1; 1st percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: -0.4% per year; rating input score 0; 27th percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: -1.1% per year; rating input score 0; 16th percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 0.2% per year; rating input score 100; 23rd percentile among comparable filings