LD24: Too Many Schools Lose Again in Murphy’s Budget Mayhem
Too Many Schools Lose Again in Murphy’s Budget Mayhem
District 24 Lawmakers Blast Dire Funding Cuts to 28 of 38 Local School Districts
Senator Steven Oroho, Assemblyman Parker Space, and Assemblyman Hal Wirths today blasted Governor Phil Murphy’s proposed budget for slashing funding to most schools in the 24th Legislative District.
Senator Steven Oroho, Assemblyman Parker Space, and Assemblyman Hal Wirths blasted Governor Phil Murphy’s proposed budget for slashing funding to most schools in the 24th Legislative District. (SenateNJ.com)
“There’s nothing fair with a funding formula that adds millions in state aid to certain school districts while cutting millions to others year after year,” said Senator Steven Oroho. “These funding cuts will not only result in an increase in property taxes, but cuts of this magnitude will certainly impact core educational programs for students. I’ll be working during the state budget process with my legislative colleagues who have been impacted by these devastating cuts and fight for true funding fairness for schools.”
In District 24 – which includes towns in Sussex, Warren and Morris counties – 28 of 38 school districts will lose money in the FY 2023 plan, including four with more than 30 percent reductions and two more at 28 percent.
As a whole, state aid for schools in the 24th Legislative District will drop by $3,956,090, a cumulative cut of more than $21 million over the last three years.
“Murphy boasts of a $650 million school aid increase, but he won’t admit that half of that money would benefit only 11 school districts,” said Assemblyman Space. “There’s been a lot of talk about affordability from the Administration, but the same pattern has been going on year after year under this Governor. It is a big reason why more educational services will be stripped away, and property taxes will rise in communities across the state, and Murphy’s Affordable New Jersey Communities rebate won’t come close to making up for it.”
Statewide 183 school districts will lose state funding by as much as 48 percent or $68 million. Of the 11 schools sharing the bulk of the new school money, one will enjoy a 92 percent spike, or $120 million more than last year.
“Murphy is spending tens of millions of dollars on illegal immigrants while our students, parents, educators, and taxpayers suffer,” Assemblyman Wirths said. “These numbers, combined with rampant inflation, mean schools will have to do more with even less, and our children will pay the price. This all should have been avoided. Last year, Republicans called on Murphy to use federal relief funds to protect schools from any loss of aid over a three-year stretch.”
The Governor rejected this hold-harmless provision even as his own economic advisers advised against cutting aid to local governments during financially difficult times, and $3 billion in federal funds remain unallocated for any purpose at all.
“Schools are suffering while Murphy sits on a pile of money rather than put it to good use helping educate New Jersey children in towns that are reeling from the impacts of COVID, high inflation, and one of the highest unemployment rates in the country,” Wirths said.
