TRENTON, NJ — Assemblyman A Paul Kanitra introduced a bill on Monday aimed at reversing the impact of state aid cuts on New Jersey schools. The proposed legislation seeks to appropriate $210.1 million to replenish funds for districts that lost supplemental stabilization aid for their 2023-24 budgets.
Since the implementation of the S2 school funding formula in 2018, which deemed many of the state’s 593 districts as overfunded, numerous districts have suffered severe financial cuts. For example, schools in Jackson, located in the 12th Legislative District, lost $22.4 million, resulting in the reduction of 214 positions and several programs, including sports teams and AP classes. Facing a $30 million budget gap for the 2024-25 school year, Jackson was recently denied the opportunity to seek state loans for budget relief.
Another assemblyman highlighted the broader impacts of the funding cuts, pointing out the adverse effects on student experiences in classrooms and extracurricular activities.
The bill represents a crucial step in addressing these ongoing challenges and restoring New Jersey’s commitment to high-quality education. In Kanitra’s 10th Legislative District alone, which includes 17 school districts, a total of $60 million in state aid has been lost since 2018.