the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewoood NJ, Last week, Governor Murphy presented his State Budget recommendations. It is important to note that Governor Murphy’s proposed budget will be reviewed by the legislature, and nothing is definite until the legislature votes on the 2021 budget by the end of June.
Governor Murphy is proposing an additional $336 million in public school aid. State aid to school districts will total $10.5 billion. More than 370 districts will receive an increase in state aid, while close to 200 districts will see a reduction, as stabilization aid is phased out. For districts proving hardship and harm to the educational services provided, the governor has proposed $50 million in emergency aid. This is up from $15 million this year.
Preschool funding will see an increase of $83 million that will expand free preschool in 33 more districts.
Governor Murphy’s budget did not include additional funds for extraordinary aid. We will wait to see if Senator Sweeney will propose another $50 million increase for extraordinary aid. Last year, the legislature voted to increase extraordinary aid with a plan to increase this budget line by $50 million each year for four years.
Ridgewood’s proposed categorical state aid is as follows:
Equalization Aid: $0
Education Adequacy Aid: $0
School Choice Aid: $0
Transportation Aid: $620,535
Special Education Categorical Aid: $3,465,724
Security Aid: $447,742
Adjustment Aid: $0
Vocational Expansion Stabilization Aid: $0
2020-21 Total K-12 Aid: $4,534,001
One Year K-12 aid difference from the 2019-2020 aid: $654,822
Aid one-year percent difference: 16.88%
Information as found on the 2020-21 State Aid Summaries www.nj.gov/education/stateaid/2021/
The Ridgewood blog has learned that the Murphy administration used outdated tax information to calculate how the state gives crucial aid to public schools, which could lead local districts to cut staff or raise property taxes.
A leading education advocate warned the administration just days after Gov. Phil Murphy touted in his budget speech his commitment to funding public education that it made the “significant error” by using 2018 data to calculate school aid. But as of Tuesday afternoon, the administration gave no indication it planned to adjust its calculation by using the intended 2019 tax data.
The dispute is unlikely to have a widespread impact across New Jersey’s roughly 600 school districts, but it could lead an unknown number of districts that are crafting their budgets based on the administration’s aid notices to consider contingencies such as layoffs and program cuts.
There are potentially 194 school districts that lose “adjustment aid,” or state money to prevent aid reductions, under the new funding law that could be affected by the administration’s using old tax data. But the total number was unknown Tuesday. Not sure if this will have any local impact but its certainly something to consider in the budgeting process.
Oh My, I was laughing out loud when the residents were getting all red in the face at public comments on the $655,000 in ONE TIME extra state aid. Did they really think that Gov Murphy was trying to help out the village taxpayers??? This was just a stunt by the governors office, if he really wanted to lower our taxes he would have done so at the STATE level. Instead he did it on the backs of all the volunteer Boards of Education in NJ. He passed the buck so that the BOE’s would have to figure it out and they would look like the bad guys. And for what??? A measly ONE TIME approximate $95 per household if you just divide the total money by the number of households. And you can bet, that when the BOE needs to raise taxes next year because they “gave back” that money the same complainers will be up there complaining.
I can’t wait to see the deer in the headlight looks on the faces of the new BOE members when they realize what the BOE is really up against. When 70% of the budget is already accounted for by the unions for the next forever number of years there is very little wiggle room.
amamom, you are either misinformed or habitual lier. It’s not ONE TIME. It’s additional aid forever.
I am neither, if you believe that it’s forever…… I’ve got a bridge to sell you sir.
This money is supposedly to return the money that Christie took away from us.
If Christie took it away it can/will be taken away again.
At the end of the day it’s all tax payer money….. we will never end up paying less, if Murphy is giving this money up then he’s taking it back from us some other way, you can be sure of that.
It’s a waste of breath, you’re going to pay one way or the other.
You may as well support our schools so that our property values are justified and you can sell your $1m + home when you are ready to call it quits on NJ.
REFUND THE MONEY IT IS OURS NOW AND FOREVER
AMAMON YOU CAN BURN YOURS IN A Barrel on your front lawn for all we care
don’t piss away mine
amamom – flip flopping? read your original post, where you mentioned in CAPS – “ONE TIME”.
I’d rather the BOE keep the $70 I’d get back and fix the infrastructure. Some members of the board have been against the slightest improvements to the school facilities (remember the lights fiasco at RHS?). Good riddance to those who would keep our schools from improving, like Morgan and let’s make sure those who would further his agenda (Creed) never get the chance.
THIS SAYS IT ALL…
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School Choice Aid: $0
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Special Education Categorical Aid: $3,465,724
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