Scharfenberger & Flynn: NJDOE’s School Funding Numbers Spells Disaster for a Generation of Students

Middletown, N.J. – Assemblymembers Victoria Flynn and Gerry Scharfenberger (Monmouth – R’s) offer the following statement regarding the New Jersey Department of Education’s (NJDOE) “State Aid Summaries” which will cause massive cuts for school within the 13^th Legislative District (-$6.5 million) as well as across Monmouth County (-$19.9 million) for the upcoming 2023-24 school year:

“It is appalling to see that school districts in Monmouth County will continue to suffer cuts in State Aid for next school year. This flies in the face of all the promises made by Governor Murphy during his budget proposal that residents will see property tax relief – they absolutely will not according to the information just shared by the NJDOE.

Some schools will receive up to 20% less in state aid to fund their budgets.  Even if some of our schools receive more in this year, it will disappear due to the skyrocketing increase in health benefits costs issued by the State.

This is not a plan for success. The State is sitting on historic surpluses which are not being utilized to provide the support needed in our educational system to allow students to recover from the years of interrupted learning. Learning losses due to COVID-19 forced closures have been ignored by the NJDOE. School Districts are already struggling to compensate especially with a lack of actionable plan from Trenton. If these funding amounts go unchanged, an entire generation of students will face life altering effects, damaging their futures.

We are going to fight this and do everything within our power to see that our students and school districts receive the funding and education they deserve.”

Information on the individual schools within the 13^th Legislative District can be seen below.

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