TRENTON, NJ – The 2023-24 budget proposed by Governor Phil Murphy seeks to slash tens of millions of funding from school districts where parents generally didn’t vote for the governor, the suburbs.
Most of the funding cuts proposed in Murphy’s budget saw Republican-leaning towns facing massive school funding cuts next year, leading local legislators to declare a school funding crisis in the suburbs.
Assemblywomen Kim Eulner and Marilyn Piperno are calling Gov. Phil Murphy’s ‘historic’ school funding announcement Thursday a slap in the face to suburban districts. Murphy is cutting nearly $21.5 million in state aid to 11 schools the lawmakers represent in Monmouth County.
“Indefensible is how I would describe the excessive funding cuts to Monmouth County schools that are suffering from higher costs, teacher shortages and learning loss just like everyone else,” Eulner said. “While our colleague across the aisle in the Senate, Sen. Vin Gopal, celebrates the scraps of money that go to our schools, we are calling it what it is – a suburban school funding crisis. More than half the schools in our district are getting gutted.”
Of the 22 schools in legislative district 11, half are being cut and one district’s funding is flat. Overall, the legislative district will receive 8.5% less funding – a net loss of $16.8 million – compared to last year. All of Monmouth County schools are facing a net funding loss of nearly $20 million with 84% of that coming from schools in the lawmakers’ district.
GOP lawmakers lashed out at senior Democrat leader Vin Gopal who routinely presents himself as a moderate Democrat for sitting on the sidelines while the Governor yanked school funding from school districts in his own legislative district.
“It’s not fair or equitable to build up other schools at the expense of suburban students’ education,” Piperno said. “Gopal has sat on the sidelines and watched Asbury Park City lose $33.7 million since 2018. It’s unacceptable.”
“Even Red Bank Borough, which had been getting increases to finally provide a thorough education, is unexpectedly being cut by 6%,” added Piperno. “Children are being disproportionately and negatively affected because bad decisions are being made behind closed doors and Gopal refuses to stand up for our communities.”
The money collected from suburban communities in Monmouth County, under Murphy’s budget is now being sent to fund schools in Newark and other urban areas where pro-Murphy Democrats control.
Murphy’s fiscal year 2024 budget boosts school aid by $832 million, which accounts for increases in just 15% of the state’s 577 school districts. The winner for funding increases goes to Newark, which will get $114 million more aid, while more than 150 so-called overfunded school districts get cut under the controversial S2 funding formula, which is in its sixth year of a seven-year phase in.
“These funding cuts will jeopardize jobs, school programs and students’ education,” said Eulner and Piperno. “We won’t be taking a victory lap until every child, teacher and school gets the funding they desperately need to address learning loss, mental health and workforce shortages.”