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Gov. Phil Murphy’s budget proposes to send the most aid to the Camden City School District among all South Jersey schools.
Under the current proposal, Camden would receive $369.7 million in state aid next year, $20.9 million more when compared to what it received for the 2025 budget year. The district is not only the top recipient of state funds in all of South Jersey, but it is among the most-funded districts in the whole state, as it has been in years past.
In a distant second in South Jersey is Vineland Public Schools, with $159 million that includes a proposed $9 million in additional aid. The school districts in Pennsauken, Atlantic City and Pleasantville round out the top five proposed aid increases for the region.
A Flourish chart
On the other end, the Washington Township school district in Gloucester County received the biggest proposed cut in South Jersey. The district stands to lose about $1.3 million when compared to the current year.
Under Murphy’s proposal, the Cherry Hill school district will lose more than $884,000. According to district officials, it will lose $4 million in aid over the course of two years.
In a letter to residents, Cherry Hill Board of Education President Gina Waters and Superintendent Dr. Kwame R. Morton Sr. said the decrease in aid “poses undeniable challenges, and difficult decisions will need to be made.”
“We will be working with State and local leaders in the coming weeks to advocate for our district and plan the next steps, and will explore every available option to uphold our mission and advocate for equitable funding,” they said.
A Flourish chart
The final school funding numbers could change as the Legislature continues to examine Murphy’s spending plan, the last one of his administration. The Assembly Budget Committee is scheduled to hold hearings with the state Department of Education on Monday. The Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee will hold a similar hearing May 13.
During his budget speech in February, Murphy said any aid increases would be limited to 6%, while aid cuts would be capped at 3% to reduce volatility in budget planning for the districts.
Michael Hayes, associate professor of public policy at Rutgers University–Camden, said Murphy made a smart political move by capping funding increases and decreases. This approach limits how much money growing districts can get, while softening the blow for the districts facing losses.
“You can sort of soften the damage by not giving such a big increase to people who, in theory, because the formula would suggest they should receive more, they’re not going to receive that,” he said.
But Hayes said the state’s school funding formula has not always been fully funded and cautions that schools are facing structural deficits. Some school districts will be raising their property tax levies beyond the 2% cap thanks to a recent law granting a one-time pass.
Plainfield’s board of education wants to raise local school property taxes by 36%, according to NJ.com. The Middletown school board recently approved raising its tax levy to 10.1%, according to Patch.
Hayes questioned the sustainability of the current formula.
“You’re kind of seeing more responsibility falling on local school districts to fund their budgets through their property tax primarily,” he said, noting that Garden State residents pay among the highest property taxes in the country. “I think for the next administration … this is going to be a major challenge for them.”
School districts in North Jersey bear the most proposed aid cuts
North Jersey bears the brunt of the proposed cuts in K-12 state aid. A WHYY News analysis of numbers provided by the New Jersey Department of Education shows 65 school districts in that region will see some form of a reduction in their aid compared to last year.
A Flourish table
Bergen County has the most number of districts in the state facing a cut. Camden and Middlesex counties each have 15 school districts facing aid reduction. Burlington and Morris counties round out the top five, with 10 and nine, respectively.
The district that stands to lose the most money is Jersey City. New Jersey’s second-largest city is facing a $4 million in aid reduction.
A Flourish chart
Districts in North and Central Jersey equally split the top 10 when it comes to receiving large dollar cuts. Districts in Hudson and Middlesex counties each have four districts at the top of the cut list.
School officials were notified ahead of the governor’s speech that the reduction would apply to the four primary aid categories — equalization (which ensures a district has the money needed to educate a student), special education, security and transportation aid.
Meanwhile, the state’s largest city — Newark — tops the list of highest proposed increases in aid, with a $75 million bump. Paterson is second on the list with $35 million, followed by Trenton, Camden and Elizabeth.
A Flourish chart
Some cuts in aid were expected in some districts
Despite Murphy’s insistence that cuts would not exceed 3%, four districts are seeing aid that will exceed that limit.
The Cape May City School District is facing a 27.29% reduction in state aid because of a roughly $448,000 reduction in military impact aid the district receives from students who live at the U.S. Coast Guard base.
“This particular calendar year, the number of students went down, and unfortunately, our aid went down,” said John Thomas, the district’s business administrator. “Next year, it might just bounce back. It might bounce back more.”
Thomas said the amount of money the school district is losing is “sizable,” but that it was “not unexpected.”
“We anticipate the possibility of that, so that we put money in reserve in case that happens, so that there’ll be no change to the school programs,” he said.
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The Colts Neck school district in Monmouth County also lost some military impact aid because of a decrease in the number of students connected to military families in the area.
In Hunterdon County, the Califon School District is losing 7.79% in funding because the district is no longer participating in the state’s school choice program.
“We will be graduating our last student who was grandfathered before we left the program,” said Dr. Michele Cone, Califon’s chief school administrator. “The aid loss is reflected in the loss of this student.”
The Laurel Springs school district in Camden County saw a reduction in the school choice and transportation categories.
Meanwhile, 65 school districts are receiving aid increases above the 6% limit Murphy announced.
In Ocean County, the Beach Haven School District would receive $67,192 in additional aid under the current proposal, which is 19% more than the previous year. The Central Regional School District would receive $1 million more, representing an 18% increase.
Other aid categories, such as school choice and military impact, are determined through factors such as annual participation or enrollment, according to Department of Education spokeswoman Laura Fredrick, which caused some districts to receive or lose aid beyond the limits established by the governor.
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