Legislators eye Gov. Murphy’s promise to “fully fund” schools
Questions have arisen about the formula for aid and why some school districts are losing aid
By Rebecca Nieves for the NJ State House News Service
Gov. Phil Murphy wants to pump nearly $1 billion more into New Jersey schools.
The new spending would increase state aid to public schools by 5% over the current level and is meant to “fully fund” K-12 education to ensure that New Jersey children receive a top-notch education.
“Since day one of my administration, I have remained committed to bolstering New Jersey’s school communities and working toward fully funding our best-in-the-nation public education system,” Murphy said when he unveiled his budget proposal earlier this month.
However, full funding does not mean every school district will see an increase in state aid. While 438 districts will receive increases in state aid, under the state’s funding formula 140 districts will see less aid and may have to raise local property taxes to avoid program cuts.
Murphy’s initiative, which includes expanding Pre-K programs. affordable meal plans, and literacy grants, is a considerable chunk of his proposed fiscal year 2025 budget. Along with increased state aid to public schools, there’s also a promise of more resources for improved infrastructure and expanded extracurricular opportunities.
Republican lawmakers have criticized Murphy’s plan and questioned dipping into state reserves to cover the costs. The GOP, along with some local school officials, has also voiced concerns that not all schools will be sharing in the bounty.
“In Governor Murphy’s budget address, we see a disconcerting trend of massive spending increases which will have a crushing impact on local taxpayers and small businesses across our state,” said Assemblyman Gerry Scharfenberger (R- Middletown).
Education Law Center Research Director Danielle Farrie said Murphy’s proposal has raised some red flags lawmakers will have to address as they consider the budget.
“Even with a strong commitment to long-standing funding needs like pensions and schools, the budget proposal still erodes the state’s surplus to fund basic operations,” Farrie said.
Murphy has proposed adding $124 million to expand pre-K education statewide. New Jersey also would join 34 other states participating in the Summer EBT program, which provides meals during the summer break to students whose families are eligible under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), at a cost of $60 million. Murphy has also proposed spending $2.5 million on a grant program to equip schools with literacy screening tools to teach young children how to read and write.
The increased funding, the administration argues, will alleviate pressures on most school districts to spend out of pocket or make resource cuts.
But it will come at a cost. In order to fund the increases, Murphy wants to dip into the state’s budget reserves.
Murphy’s plan aims to address setbacks that public schools have faced over legislative changes made in 2018 to the state’s then 10-year-old school funding formula. While the Legislature intended to distribute school funding more fairly across the state, the change resulted in cuts for some school districts.
“For the first time since the School Funding Reform Act began in 2009, our school funding formula will be fully funded,” said Acting Commissioner of the Department of Education Kevin Dehmer.
The Legislature will have the final say over the governor’s proposal. The Senate Budget Committee will hold a hearing Tuesday, April 16, and is likely to have some of the same questions about fairness and the funding formula that came up last week during an Assembly Budget Committee hearing.
While Republicans have largely criticized the plan as inequitable, leaders of the Democratic majorities in the Senate and Assembly have backed the bill — tentatively at least.
“We appreciate every teacher, administrator, and school employee who shows up every single day to support our students. As your state representatives, we pledge to work on this vital task until the school funding allocations match the dedication given to our students,” Assemblyman Roy Freiman (D-HIllsborough) said.
Newark, Secaucus, and Plainfield are among the districts that would get increases in state aid, up to 30% over the current level, according to the Department of Education. These districts are receiving increases in state aid based on calculations made by the department using the school funding formula.
Meanwhile, others will take significant hits that may force budget cuts. The South Brunswick Schools will lose $1.4 million in aid. Toms River Regional will lose 9% of its state aid and Cherry Hill Township faces an even greater loss of roughly 19% of its state funding.
In a letter to parents, Cherry Hill’s acting Superintendent Kwame Morton said the reduction in aid is expected to force some schools to make cuts in staffing and extracurricular programs.
“We are shocked that the state, having increased our aid consistently during the last four years after decades of staggering and harmful underfunding, has cut our aid to less than what we received in 2022-2023,” Morton wrote.
The state determines how much aid a district receives through the school funding formula, which takes into account factors such as enrollment, demographics, and an estimate of how much the district can raise in revenue locally through property taxes. While wealthier districts have a higher property tax base that allows them to generate more local revenue for education, poorer districts may struggle to generate tax revenue and rely more heavily on state aid. The school funding formula has been criticized for a lack of acknowledgment of this disparity.
“The time has come for the Legislature to take an honest look at the formula and come up with a solution that ensures all children and taxpayers are treated fairly and equally,” said Sen. Owen Henry (R-Old Bridge).
Sen. Declan O’Scanlon (R-Holmdel) the Republican budget officer, expressed similar concerns about the Legislature’s handling of school aid.
“There is undoubtedly a plethora of leftover pork from the last budget session that could be better spent safeguarding teachers and students from unnecessary budget cuts,” O’Scanlon said
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The NJ State House News Service is a collaboration by student journalists from Rutgers and The College of New Jersey to cover state government and politics under the direction of faculty and professional journalists.
